Ad Vitam

Rodolphe Lauga delivers a top-notch action movie that stands out in the genre. What makes French films so appealing compared to Hollywood blockbusters is their focus on realistic scripts, grounded action, and authentic characters, which result in true emotional depth and drama. These are the kinds of action films you want to watch because, unlike Marvel movies, you're not stuck watching the same superheroes in endless, exaggerated battles. In this film, the people, the situations, the locations, and the thrilling chases all feel incredibly lifelike, pulling you into the story and making you feel like you're right there with the characters. It's a refreshing change from the typical formulaic films where you're just watching the same A-list stars in the same predictable shootouts. This is an action movie with real substance-a film that no John Wick can quite match.

Ad Vitam (2025), directed by Rodolphe Lauga, is a thriller that follows Franck Lazareff (Guillaume Canet), who survives an attempted murder and embarks on a quest to find his kidnapped wife, Leo. As Franck delves deeper into a world of mystery, he is confronted by his past and swept into a state conspiracy that proves more than he bargained for. While the premise offers potential for a gripping and emotional story, the film fails to rise above the clichés of the genre.

Guillaume Canet, despite being a talented actor, feels miscast in this film. His performance, while competent, lacks the depth and complexity that might have made his character truly compelling. It's surprising that an actor of his caliber chose to take on a role in such a formulaic and uninspired narrative. The supporting cast, including Jamel Blissat and Rayan Bouazza, doesn't bring anything particularly noteworthy to their roles, with their performances often feeling wooden and lacking emotional engagement.

The film's biggest weakness lies in its screenplay. The story follows a predictable path, offering few surprises or twists. While it tries to combine elements of action, mystery, and conspiracy, it never fully commits to any one genre, leaving the narrative feeling disjointed. The pacing also suffers, with certain plot points dragging on too long, and the dialogue feels repetitive and uninspired, leaving little for the viewer to truly connect with.

Visually, the film offers some decent action sequences, but the cinematography doesn't bring anything fresh or innovative to the genre. The direction is competent but lacks the flair needed to elevate the film beyond its generic premise. Ultimately, Ad Vitam feels like a classic example of a film that is forgettable, offering only brief moments of intrigue before fading into obscurity.

Rating: 5/10. A passable thriller with little to distinguish it from others in the genre, despite a talented cast and a promising premise.

You wouldn't have expected a role like this from the French actor Guillaume CANET until now, but from now on you'll have to talk about a French Tom CRUISE. In German-speaking countries, Guillaume CANET was known primarily for his role in THE BEACH (2000) with Leonardo Di CAPRIO in the lead role and as the first husband of the German actress Diane KRUGER.

In AD VITAM by Rodolphe LAUGA, CANET plays a former member of the French elite unit GIGN who, after his release, is drawn into a confusing game of intrigue with very bad guys. When his pregnant wife Leo (Stephane CAILLARD, known from CHEZ NOUS (2017) by Lucas BELVAUX) is kidnapped, Franck Lazareff finally becomes a one-man army who can hit, shoot and climb so much that even Mr. CRUISE would be jealous. Fortunately, the elite fighter also has some good colleagues (Nassim LYES from SOUS LA SEINE and Alexis MANENTI from LES MISERABLES) who rush to help with their powerful skills.

Of course, this film has some weaknesses, such as the miserably long flashbacks at the beginning of the film, but NETFLIX has provided a budget that makes such a well-illustrated action film possible in France. The fights and chases on the street and in the air are well done. Breathtaking images of Sacre-Coeur and the Versailles Palace Park included! The film also does full justice to the French PolAr tradition (film policier and Argot). It is a lot of fun to watch and has so far been quite successful on the global streaming service.

In a small role, there is also a reunion with Stephane RIDEAU (in the sequence in Sacre-Coeur), who became known in 1993 with ROSEAUX SAUVAGES.

First movie of 2025...and it's a bit of a dud.

Firstly, a positive. There's some pretty cool action scenes here. I'm not familiar with French cinema but the main actor Guillaume Canet was great and really sold me on his tough guy persona. He really was the emotional core of the story, aside from just being an outright badass. The dude does everything : parkour, driving, martial arts....you name it!

However, "Ad Vitam" really struggled to hold my attention throughout its short run time, and just comes across as a cheaper and inferior version of the "Mission Impossible" series. The story didn't grip me at all. The majority of the film is one big flashback that doesn't even get to the main plot introduced at the start of the film until just over an hour in. For an action film, it's incredibly slow and plodding, and doesn't seem to have any momentum or pace until it suddenly ramps up in the last 30 minutes. It feels like a solid 40 minute pilot episode of a TV series stretched out to 95 minutes to be considered feature length.

Overall, it's not a film I'd recommend. It's typical of what you'd expect from a January Netflix film I guess!

This is a good thriller movie that shows the lives of elite military groups that spring into action in case of big/disastrous attacks. It shows a very important side of the lives of such people: family. Sometimes, we forget that the military people not only sacrifice their lives, they also sacrifice the comforts of staying with their family. And in unfortunate circumstances, these people give up their lives, casting a permanent shadow on the psyche of their loved ones. This film accurately depicts to what extent people can go to save their loved ones.

However, I feel that this movie is a slow peel, just like the peeling of an onion slowly and steadily. It gradually unfolds the lives and motivations of different characters. This is a fresh take, and I haven't seen thriller movies recently made in this style. But I am not sure if this will attract the fast-moving people of this generation who are addicted to 30-second reels on their phones.