Directed by Fred Cavaye
Screeplay by Cavaye, and Guillame Lemans
Starring: Giles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gerard Lanvin, Elena Anaya, Mireille Perrier
Point Blank is a movie that succeeds because its goal is modest: make a thriller that moves along so quickly that the viewer has no time to question its rather murky plot.
It won’t be until later that you say, “Now why was that guy where he was?”
This was one of the few films that received a 100% favorable rating on rotten tomatoes and it works beautifully on its own terms.
PLOT: Samuel (Lellouche) is a nurse in a Paris hospital with a pregnant wife (Elena Anaya). She is told to stay in bed to avoid a miscarriage. Samuel walks in on an attempt to murder a patient (Zem), the recent victim of a parking garage accident. He saves the man and thus inserts himself into a drama about which he knows nothing.
His wife is kidnapped to force Samuel to turn the patient over to his would be murderers.
And the plot continues to spiral into greater circles. To tell too much would ruin the fun.
Point Blank walked a fine line. The very believable relationship between Samuel and his pregnant wife stood in for the other rather anonymous, blank-slate characters.
It might have been a stronger film if we had a better idea of why certain characters acted as they did: if we knew more about them. But such side trips might have detracted from the breakneck speed of the film. So taken on its own terms, it was quite an exciting ninety minutes.
Patti
Patti Abbott writes crime fiction short stories. She hosts a look at Forgotten Books every Friday with readers, writers and reviewers at http://www.pattinase.blogspot.com/ She hopes you’ll join in.
