Mea Culpa

A very disappointing movie for me as Point Blank (2010) is my favourite French movie and the director of that movie also directed this.

It starts off extremely confusing with a incoherent plot line of clips taking place in the present time mixed with random flashbacks, get's slightly more coherent perhaps 25 minutes in or so but by then I had pretty much given up on the movie.

Felt like it was originally 2 hours or something but then cut down to 90 minutes because it was too slow for them to label it a action-movie and thought fast cuts = action.

And then we get a scene of (real) animal-torture from a bullfighting arena where we get to see a matador sticking knives (again real) into the innocent bull while the crowd cheers in excitement, which was pretty much the nail in the coffin for me.

Well-made action-scenes though, once the action actually get started.

When I saw the trailer of Mea Culpa, I was really seduced. Vincent Lindon and Gilles Lellouche together in a thriller with real tough scenes, I jumped on this must see ... and I wasn't disappointed at all.

And the movie begins very hard, and it goes on like this till the end : lot of twists and surprises all along the movie, with physical strength and action packed sequences. And noir destiny, very noir.

Believe it, editing and cinematography serve effectively each scene, and you are always surprised. A constant pleasure. And a very smart ending.

Vincent Lindon and Gilles Lellouche are stunning, I just loved their magnetic friendship. They are the main characters really developed.

There are some relevant references to classic movies masterpieces, which make want to see again Framed directed by Phil Karlson, same kind of fights.

I'm waiting for the next Fred Cavayé.

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.

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.