Absolute Race

NITRO is a French Canadian wannabe action in the FAST & FURIOUS kind that fails on all levels: action, story, acting, believability. It's one groaner after another. The story is totally silly and because the main star is about 5 feet tall, it's simply impossible to be impressed by any of the over-compensating machismo going on. The night racing scene, with the ugly woman in cut-offs, is priceless. Watching everyone act ghetto during what was supposed to be the film's highlight was truly embarrassing. The strip club scene was hot & compelling thanks to those quick edits which told us that it was supposed to be hot & compelling because the lack of acting abilities from its main star wasn't helping the director. The characters were all one dimensional and uninteresting. Only the cinematography was OK.

Seriously, this film is to be avoided at all cost.

Well sometimes people miss understand a piece of art completely. For commercial reasons this is if a product is labeled not exactly what it is really containing. Call it action and it gives you a market for example. Other example, "The Wrestler". For some folks, younger folks maybe it is an action movie defined by the fighting components. For me as an elder man this components are part of the story but not the story itself. Just decoration and necessary to tell the real story. I watched "Nitro" by coincidence. Some of this funny Canadian variations of US mentality. I thought. Let's waste some time and watch it. Tarantino is named here. I as European will never understand this director and his art as an US American understand it. For me his kind of art is not really necessary. For me "Nitro" has nothing to do with this. Like "The Pet" has nothing to do with sex, bondage, S/M or anything porn. The film smashed my easy watching attempt completely. It is a very very hard story told in a surprising way. But i could stand it, was not forced to switch off. Cause also for me it's a story about love. And it's limitations. The limitations of our human existence. Whom do we really love, other persons or ourself? What is our struggle for, to help beloved persons or to cover our needs and pain? It's a film about the absolutely tragedy of some people linked by love or what they believe love is. Without any terms of religion. A story of loosen souls shifting around in a world they can't stand. A story of how to accept what you can not accept, death. And a very sad story, stays there anything left of their love? A movie that ask questions and leave them open. A very unusually movie.

Why do I award five stars to this film? Because of what it could have been, yet wasn't. The interesting bits in my opinion, and only somebody who understands Québec French (I do) can say that, are the (I think) peeks at Montréal subcultures the director takes: ordinary building workers, young Québec working class speed freaks, and gangsters (of a type, including what is supposed to be yet another stereotype of Italian mafioso, neither very real, nor very credible). The plot is of course irrelevant, but so it is for zillions of other directors, that hardly matters. The film fails because it is a patchworks of unrelated tiles. There just is no line joining all these fragments, and the lead actor, not bad in itself, does not manage to be the joining factor. This movie therefore splinters into many shards, rather imaginative shards, but broken nonetheless. Director worth watching, as he might learn, methinks.

Action film is a genre rarely seen in Quebec film. Last year was for Bon Cop Bad Cop and now Nitro. A young man want's to safe the life of his wife. He has to get lost of money and a heart for a transplant. Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge is excellent and does most of his stunts. Lucie Laurier plays a woman with a attitude, don't step on her toes. Not only is she beautiful but she gives a great performance. There is lots of action in this low budget film, compare to the Die Hard series, but you'll be impress to see what they do in this picture. The story also as moments of drama and emotion. A very enjoyable film. Go see it. I think American producers would like to buy the script and do a remake. If they do , don't forget Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, he makes this movie believable.

A French-Canadian action film... I wasn't too hopefully going in but have learnt not to judge a film on a nation's industry, and this one was a damn good surprise!

An underground car racer meets the love of his life whilst recovering from a crash in hospital and even though she's suffering from a terminal heart disease, he won't give up on her.

That's the premise, and from that we're taken on one heck of a ride as the lead - a fantastic performer I'll have to keep an eye out for - too stubborn or perhaps stronger than most of us will ever be, does anything and everything he can to keep his true love alive.

I won't delve more into the plot, because the way the film unfolds, doing so would be to spoil it somewhat, but if you're after a film that can keep you on the edge of your seat with adrenaline rushes AND drama, you could do a hell of a lot worse than to give this little Canadian flick a viewing.

Recommended.