Title: Point Blank

Opens: July 29, 2011

Whoever said that French movies are talky? What about “The French Connection?” OK, that’s not French, and the famous chase on the elevated line takes place in Brooklyn, not Paris. “Claire’s Knee”? Yes, that’s more like the French style, the story of a thirty-something diplomat with a taste for a teen and a desire to touch her knee. How about both parts of “Mesrine”? Now we’re getting closer. “Mesrine,” is based on an actual gangster who committed his robberies during the 1970s when he was public enemy number one. “Mesrine” in both parts became the best police drama released here last year.

“Point Blank” lacks the character definition of “The French Connection.” There’s nobody here nearly as complex as Fernando Rey’s Alain Charnier, a first-class smuggler of heroin into North America whose charm served to punctuate the coarseness of Detective Popeye Doyle. “Point Blank” lacks the interest of “Mesrine” as well, as the innocent man who takes part reluctantly in some criminal activity and the gangster that he is rescuing from certain death are not involving enough as human beings to make one care overly for either. In fact the entire movie could be performed by robots or by animation.

That’s the bad news. The good news, which makes up in large part for these flaws, is that virtually the entire picture is faster than a speeding bullet, almost all of the eighty-six minutes taken up with chases on or near the Paris Metro system, the kidnapping bold, swift and scary, the tension between a man willing to do anything, criminal or otherwise, to protect his wife and the police who believe he is armed and dangerous all serve to keep audience heartbeats going pitter-patter. This is the proverbial edge-of-your seat drama involving a member of the Italian mafia, a bunch of rogue cops out to make more euros than their government pays them, and a hapless, loving fellow who becomes involved in the film’s almost perpetual mayhem.

From the very opening frame, director Fred Cavayé knows the tone he’s after and he gets it from the well-oiled ensemble. A breathtaking chase scene through a Paris Metro station ends up in a crash: gangster Hugh Sartet (played by French-born Roschdy Zem, of Moroccan descent) is hit by a bike, lands in a hospital where Samuel Pierret (Gilles Lellouche) serves as a nurse’s aide, is saved by Pierret from death at the hands of an unknown assailant, and is hustled from his bed into the street by Pierret, whose pregnant wife Nadia (Elena Anaya) is held captive pending Sartet’s deliverance. The gang knows that Sartet will be handed over to the cops as soon as he can be moved. Pierret’s determination to free his wife is motivated by a tender scene that explores the loving relationship between husband and wife.

“Point Blank” becomes a buddy movie, finding this tender, loving husband in an unusual bond with the notorious gangster, a film with noir elements, including several twists and turns that keep the plot from becoming little more than the medium for Olympic-style chases.The chemistry between Pierret and Sartet serves as an ironic mirror of the affection that Pierret has for his wife, giving “Point Blank” the sentimental touch that never tries to overwhelm the frantic action. If you have a son or daughter whom you want to introduce to foreign movies with subtitles, you can’t go wrong with this.

Unrated. 86 minutes. (c) 2011 by Harvey Karten Member: NY Film Critics Online

Overall – B