K.O.

As I have already said before, from now on, and I guess for a long time, all French action movies will be released only thru streaming platforms; not in movie theaters. This one takes place in Marseille, the French "underwolrd" city, the French place where there are the most important gangsters, kingpins in terms of drug traffic, armored truck robbers, racketters...Antoine Blossier the director was not used to action films before, he is not Julien Leclercq nor any other ones specialized in badass plots whose movies are available on streaming platforms. The result is above average, far better than the former Europacorp Luc Besson's crap factory. Good character depiction. The lead actor makes me think of Idris Elba, he has gifts in acting, not only fist fighting.

In no ways is this a bad film, it just left with a lot to be desired. Let's start with the good! The few action scenes there were in this film were really fun and engaging, they weren't super original per say, (there's the nightclub fight scene that is in every single action movie now) but fun nonetheless. The performances were pretty good, and I really dug the directing. Now the issues, first and foremost, I felt like this film was too short (which is not a common issue for me to have), but it's hard for me to believe that this movie wouldn't have improved with an extra 10 to 15 minutes of runtime, it would've given the ability to fix my next issue, a severe lack of depth in any of the characters. Even in the leading duo, you learn about their tragic backstory, they make out, and that's about it. The actors did well portraying the characters, I just didn't like the characters. Overall this film was mildly annoying, because the concept and directing gave me so much hope that this was gonna be a really unique movie, but it all got lost inside of action cliches, and sloppy writing.

For reasons best left to sociologists and film students of the far future, these types of action films have been out of favor recently, lost in an endless sea of DEI and similar themed product. So it is entirely possible that audiences have forgotten what a good action film feels like. A good action film feels just like this one, with a solid lead that you can relate to -- Gane does a great job -- and a director who knows enough not to waste his time, or yours. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I had to do a double take... is this THE Ciryl Gane from the UFC, or an actor that looks the same with the same name?

Welp, to my surprise it IS UFC fighter Ciryl Gane, and this guy can act!

The story wasn't anything revolutionary, and some of the fight scenes (mostly the ones with the knives and machetes) were a little cheesy (as was the gang's boss), and the story pretty much predictable, yet Gane's massive presence and on-point acting elevated this move to an enjoyable popcorn action flick.

The female lead was however a little annoying and way too small to be convincing fighting next to Gane.

Either way, a solid 6/10 from me.

The action is fast paced. I love the fight scenes. The plot is thinner than Madonna in the eighties. But to help the plot thicken, the female lead is excellent in a sort of bulldogish kinda role. The male lead is a walking talking reluctant but resigned brick wall. I would have rated it higher if the opening sequence made more sense. I do like the onslaught of ruthless behavior by the villains. That being said, crime hurts. Stabbing is bad. Machetes are not your friend. Drugs are bad mkay. Sidenote: The song guilty conscience should've been an integral part of this movie. Not a spoiler per se but I expected more out of a French sex scene.