Info
- Director: Fred Cavaye
- Starring: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Elena Anaya, Gerard Lanvin
- Year: 2010
- Runtime: 84 Minutes
- Company: Magnet Releasing
- Format: Blu-ray
- Discs: 1
- Video: 2.35:1 - 16:9 - 1080p - MPEG4 AVC
- Audio: French & English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Region: A
- Released: 12/06/2011
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Film
Before sitting down to watch Point Blank (A bout portant), I had moderate to low expectations. Having viewed the trailer earlier it looked like a by the numbers thriller that I would forget about after watching. I'm pleasantly surprised to say that Point Break is a brisk, competently made action thriller that will grab your attention and won't let go till the credits roll.
Right from the opening moments we're thrust into a chase between a wounded man running for his life from gun toting thugs before he's hospitalized after a head on motorcycle hit. We then meet Samuel (Gilles Lellouche), a good and honest soon to be father of his wife's (Elena Anaya) soon to be born baby. During his late night shit at the hospital as a nurse's aide, Samuel stops an attempted assassination on a patient named Hugo (Roschdy Zem), the aforementioned wounded man who also happens to be a career criminal. After Samuel's wife is kidnapped he's given an ultimatum. Help Hugo escape the hospital alive or lose your wife forever. This leads to an entanglement of double crossing, corrupt cops & adrenaline packed chases.
Point Blank is a relatively simple film that isn't game changing in the slightest. What truly carries it is some great performances from the film's various characters. Samuel, played with motivated believability by Gilles Lellouche, is a character you can really root for. His pregnant wife has been kidnapped, making his furious plight to get her back quite emotional and lively. Roschdy Zem plays hardened criminal Hugo quite well with the bad boy mannerisms down to a que. Both actors certainly create an unlikely duo that elevates the film past what could have been an uninspired been-there-done-that romp.
Director Fred Cavaye brings gritty flair to the film with some hefty chase sequences that may leave you exhausted. It's an accomplishment to be so involved in a scene that makes you feel like you were actually in it. There are quite a few scenes of feverish running that create an atmosphere of tension, especially as the film unravels. Point Blank is an exciting, briskly paced actioner that really flew under the radar upon it's limited release. Recommended for fans of Leon, Taken and other international films of the like. Definitely worth your time.
Blu-ray
- Video
Magnet yet again does a fine job bringing their theatrical films to Blu-ray with a great looking MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer. Grain is certainly visible throughout with no signs of digital mucking. Point Blank is a vibrant film with plenty of locales that offer colorful lighting that shines on this disc. A solid 1080p transfer all around.
- Audio
Opt for the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track as it's quite lively and the film's native audio. There is a plethora of action in Point Blank that is represented quite well here. Shootouts, fist fights and the various chase sequences are all effectively experienced thanks to surround sound. No disappointments here. English subtitles are included for the French 5.1 mix.
Bonus Features
- Featurette - "Making Of Point Blank"
- Trailers
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