La bête

That Italian flick tries something already used and overused by the US film industry: a former Special Forces member suffering of post traumatic disorder and whose daughter was abducted. I expected something new from this European film, especially released on Netflix, I expected something daring, more brutal, gritty, why not nasty, disgusting, disturbing. But directing and acting are more than OK though.

The movie has a good beginning and the Beast character is perfect. But then the plot becomes really slow, the action is slow, the hero looses his strength and falls in serious danger. It is not clear the intention of the movie: an action movie, a family/love movie, both of the them ? Well in my opinion none of them had success. Finally with its rhytms movie is too long (I risked to fall asleep). But Ludovico Di Martino has really good possibilities (scenes, lights, actors), so c'mon let show them.

If only they had added "I have a particular set of skills..." it might have been better.

Netflix advertises this film well showing Fabrizio Gifuni as a tough, no nonsense, 'get the job done' ex-military father who is central to the movie. Sadly though, the film didn't meet the hope or expectations I had for it.

The good and the bad:

• When the end graphic 'La Belva' (The Beast) is better than the movie, you know something went wrong.
• From a broad view the story is fine, even if it has been told many times: A young family member is kidnapped leaving the father to get them back.
• Fabrizio Gifuni almost looks the part, grizzled with an over the top beard. However, for a man who supposedly spent 30 years in special forces he is a scrawny
• Stemming from the last point, the only relevance I can see in learning he was in special forces for 30 years was to give the impression he has a 'particular set of skills which make men like him dangerous to people who might kidnap his daughter'. However, he doesn't display any more skill than a determined father who can handle himself.
• The film fails to develop the characters leaving the viewer not caring much for them. For example, we don't learn much about the young girl who is kidnapped other than her big brother leaves her eating chips at a table where, predictably, it all goes wrong.
• Typical to the Italian stereotype, the film has great hype but no substance.

The negatives could go on, but it would be like shooting fish in a barrel (i.e. easy).

La Belva (2020) is not a film I will remember, and much like Sabotage (2014) this review will be the only reminder I once saw it.

All the comments here about the leads poor fighting skills - in the real world people don't fight like Jason Bourne and John Wick, fighting is thuggish and brutal, with little finesse and the character is called the Beast for Pete's sake. But when you've been raised on a diet of sterile Hollywood pap of the past few decades then it's understandable that you think fighting should be stylised, clinical and frankly boring. This film was by no means perfect, but it is a solid 6.

The movie starts OK and then the plot becomes a mess... and the action scenes are boring. No need to view it.