La bala perdida 3

I know the saying goes with least ... but since the previous two movies where called Lost Bullet ... well I thought I'd go with that. I am also not entirely sure what it would be referring to in the movie ... but hey what do I know? Well I do know that my puns as always are not intended.

I really loved the first two movies and while there is a recap for those who missed the previous installments, I would suggest you watch them ... not just because they are superior ... but because you will get more out of the characters and the depth ... the feeling so to speak. I understand that some people might have missed the point of this completely ... especially when unaware of the two previous movies.

This may not be up there with the other movies, but it still has some super fine car stunts ... and the fighting inside a public transportation ... straight out of Shang Chi? Well I am quite certain they had way less money here ... and yet it still looks impressive.

The story and the (re)solution are not as satisfying as I would hope them to be ... but if you are in love with the main character (speaking in platonic terms mostly, but not judging if you feel more) ... well you will dig this too. So more of an "ordinary" action movie in the end ... and yet, the actors and the action make it somewhat worth it.

Balle Perdue 3 is a little deception and a success in terms of mass kinetics. What did we like about Balle Perdue (2020) by the same Guillaume Pierret? Alban Lenoir, with his mineral charisma, his butch jaw that goes all the way to the end, and who carries a form of mystery. There was also a form of humor, if only visual, with the showcasing of cheesy cars, the Renault 5 and Renault 21, but which have a unique visual signature. We have elements of this here (Stefi Celma's apartment, Julie Tedesco's character, for example). And, of course, crumpled sheet metal and combat sequences in a variety of forms to compose a jubilant whole that lends itself to symphony.

There's not a lot of Alban Lenoir in this third franchise (the poster is misleading in this respect, even though it smells of old-fashioned posters), so it's a disappointment. The main dramatic arc is centered on Nicolas Duvauchelle, always very good, but his character hasn't aroused any empathy until now, and that's still the case; we're not interested in what happens to him. Stefi Celma is a little sacrificed (starting with her hairstyle), i.e. Secondary, in this third film, after her prominence, which we appreciated in Balle Perdue 2 (2022).

We like two characters who come to the fore in this third of the franchise, who are well seen: Julie Tedesco, who we're keen to see again, as a magician garage owner who knows how to manipulate irony; and Quentin D'Hainaut, who comes to the fore and whose contribution in the last quarter of the film suggests that we may see him again in a fourth... In terms of the franchise's main signature, the film is a success. Chases, fights, phenomenal action sequences that don't even smell of CGI porn. In this respect, the film is an impressive success. Motorcycles, cars, trucks, helicopters, streetcars - a multitude of action vectors are used, as well as shootouts and hand-to-hand combat. As for hand-to-hand combat, there's a beautiful sequence in a tramway, which comes close to Nobody's anthology bus sequence (2021, Ilya Naishuller) without matching it (it contains humor that we don't have here). There are also the extensions given to the vehicles, which are always impressive and contribute to the original visual elements that make the film unique.

I missed at the beginning some flashbacks from the last episode. I didn't remember what happened in the past. I had really hard to stick the story from the second Lost Bullet.

I mean everybody chases everybody but I didn't understand whats going on. I found the construction of the movie very complicated. Except the cool action scenes.

Sometimes it was too slow paced with many dialogues. I wanted even switch off thirty minutes from the poor end but then began the hot car, helicopter and truck chases.

I watched the whole film in three evenings, just to tell you that it lacks lot of suspense.

The main actors did no doubt a solid job but as I explained they deserved a better script to grow highly up with a much more better content.

4/10.

There are some movies that really don't follow the paint by numbers method of creativity and this series is one of them. It's just a different sort of approach to action, car chase and our unlikely hero. When I watched the first movie, ten minutes in I remember thinking "what the hell is ths madness!" and teetered on the edge of switching off. But I didn't. Instead I found myself enjoying the ride and being entertained by what was unforlding on screen. Its actually quite strange because it is way more enjoyable than it should be for whats on offer. Which is to say, they've really maximised the good aspects of these movies.

That hasn't really changed, not in the second movie, and not in this one. The producers and director have stayed true to what works from the first movie, and given us to good follow ups in the saga that plays out almost like a TV mini series.

It's very French, very culturally different from what you get from Hollywood, but thats part of its charm. I throws the old well used tropes out the window and does its own thing.

Defintely worth the watch. I'm going to be somwhat generous with my score, with 7 rather than 6 becasue... its just a welcome change from the norm.

I would say that this series probably didnt need to be a trilogy but its appreciated to get an actual end instead of things being left in limbo. Lino once again is trying to finnaly track down his brothers murder and we start with how the last film left off but with a little action sequance involving a granade at the star which I liked. No one told him his car was trashed and so he has a new one made that he then wreaks during yet another car chase. I liked the pickup truck after though but this chase was less enjoyable compared to the last film. Still good action though and acting and a decent end to the trilogy.