Rating: C
Dir: Camille Delamarre
Star: Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Loan Chabanol, Gabriella Wright
Nope. Sorry. This one is a Statham-free zone – for better or worse. Instead we have Ed Skrein taking the Frank Martin role, who is still a resident of the French Riviera. The cinematography is good, and as glossy and smooth as we have come to expect from Studio Canal ‘playing films’ in this lovely part of France.
However, very early into the film, the story is already smelling a little thin, even if it is jogging along very nicely with generous displays of the conspicuous wealth of the rich and evil.
This is hugely formulaic, replete with all the necessary car chases, that are jolly energetic if, frankly, a bit tedious. There is plenty of close-quarters hand-to-face combat with seemingly endless 2D ‘plot-props’ falling like pins, and as you’d expect it’s all choreographed and filmed very nicely and slick in execution. It does however lack Statham’s balletic flow and grace… and there’s a line I never thought to write.
It’s very slick, stylish, with all the usual japes that you’d expect. It’s very good. It’s just that the plot is thinner than tissue paper and about half as interesting, and it feels oddly hollow, lifeless, despite all the kinetic action and slick slickness.
Now, to digress, my meal was Sea Bass, which I think is a lovely fish with a great flavour. I cooked it up with spinach and ricotta ravioli, asparagus and a slightly spicy home-made pasta sauce. The wine was white and fairly innocuous, but nice enough. Overall it was a lovely meal, filling without leaving me feeling stuffed, and so allowing room for desert of cheese and biscuits – the Davidstow Mature Cornish Cheddar (from Waitrose) is a cracking cheddar! Yup, all in all very satisfying.
The film, by contrast, well, look, it’s charming in its own way and very watchable – perfect in-flight-fodder – yet somehow it just doesn’t resonate. It lacks charm. Skrein is fine in the role but, well, it does beg the question if Statham can actually act, or if he just has a more natural on-screen charisma. Anyway, here, the car’s the star.
So. It’s a Studio Canal production with Luc Besson on board, albeit not directing, so it was never going to be a bad film, and it’s not. It is an enjoyable romp. Just empty. Very pretty wallpaper, just with ‘daddy’ issues. As for the plot? Are you seriously bothered? It’s decent to watch, smooth like good vodka, and easy to forget.