Mea Culpa

We stayed in a confused state of mind until the last moment, a far-fetched ending finally revealed the implication of the title. Yet apart from its pertinence to the title, the last twist really seems redundant. As an action movie, it is a passable one, though the plot can be further refined to provide more coherence.

French director Fred Cavaye completes a hat-trick of exciting, exhausting thrillers with MEA CULPA, a film which pairs up the two heroes of his earlier films: namely Vincent Lindon from ANYTHING FOR HER and Giles Lellouche from POINT BLANK. These two larger-than-life characters are on the same side, battling a gang of murderous heroin smugglers in the south of France.

Cavaye has clearly learnt plenty from his classic POINT BLANK as MEA CULPA is a film in the same mould. There's barely a slow or extraneous moment here, just constant thrills and excitement as the plot twists and turns along and frenetic action sequences regularly punctuate the narrative with machine-gun precision. The cinematography is top notch and could quite easily show more than a few Hollywood directors how to shoot action that feels exciting, realistic, and fresh.

Lindon in particular gives an excellent performance with Lellouche happy to stand back and support him, and the supporting cast is well chosen too. There are moments of sentiment here, included in order for the characters and viewer to have something to care about, but the emphasis is on the action as it should be. Nightclubs, warehouses, and trains all provide perfect backdrops for the fast-paced and visceral thrills and what a thrilling movie MEA CULPA is.

An accident can mess up your life completely. Especially if you're not in control ... Some might call it tough luck, others unfortunate circumstances, but whatever the case our main lead had a rough ride up until now and it doesn't seem to get better for him (or his family, whether they are close to him or not doesn't matter, because he does care for them).

The acting is more than solid and the story is really nicely and expertly told. There might be things that you can tell happening and you might see twists even before they are revealed fully, but that doesn't take anything away from the movie. It just shows you've seen a lot of movies, which isn't a bad thing either. A lot french thrillers seem to be worth your while, definitely this one

Vincent Lindon plays Simon who is an ex - police officer. Years ago he was dismissed from the gendarmes for causing a car accident whilst drunk. Since he was released from prison he has failed to reconnect with his estranged wife and ten year old son, It is as if a part of him died in the car crash too. He is now making a sort of living working for a security firm.

His old partner from the police - Franck (Gilles Lelouche) has stayed loyal to him, though Simon finds that hard to understand. Then a random incident puts the lives of Simon's son and wife in jeopardy. This turn of events brings the two friends back together to take on the bad guys and defend Simon's family.

The above is a simple synopsis and actually belies how well crafted this plot is. It is brilliantly directed and the actors are all excellent especially the main ones. It is both stylish and gritty at the same time. The tension is well ramped up and the mood is one that exemplifies the danger almost from the start. There is also a bull fight sequence here which may upset some people - so please take note. This is though a real edge of seat actioner that has a heart and a compelling story line - which makes it very easy to recommend this one.

"Mea Culpa" will not win any awards for plot originality, and the "ethnic" villains are cardboard, but it's gritty, fast-paced and viscerally exciting, with plenty of fights, shootouts and chases. *** out of 4.