Balle perdue 2

Let's be crystal. Lost Bullet was a pretty good film. It had a plot that included a beginning, a middle, and an end. It had explosive action scenes. Good acting. Checked all the boxes. This is a sequel to Lost Bullet released a few years after the fact. It is not a very satisfying watch. First, it seems to literally take place the day after the first film ended, requiring the viewer to remember all the details of the first film. In other words, it starts with a flash quiz, like you were back in high school. There is no obvious plot for the first half of the film, but there is an awful lot of action and emotion and fighting. If you wondered in without knowing the story, you might think you were watching a Kung Fu film, in French, produced in France. With no Asian characters. If all the above appeals to you, grab a chair. Otherwise take a pass. ((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))

In this intriguing sequel, we witness a dramatic shift in the life of our protagonist Lino, who transitions from being a mechanic in the first film to now a cop. The movie cleverly plays with the audience's expectations by presenting a disconnect between the ending of the first movie and the beginning of the second, adding an element of mystery and suspense. Lino's evolution from a blue-collar worker to a law enforcement officer brings a fresh perspective to the character, as he navigates a world where the lines between good and bad are constantly blurred. The film wastes no time plunging into the action, with Lino finding himself in a complex web of corruption and deceit, where the true villains may not be who they seem. What sets this movie apart is Lino's unconventional approach to justice, as he finds himself in situations where he must confront and even take down corrupt cops to uphold his own sense of morality. With a high-stakes plot, intense action sequences, and a standout performance by the lead actor, this movie delivers a thrilling and thought-provoking experience that challenges traditional notions of heroism and villainy. Brace yourself for a wild ride filled with twists, turns, and a riveting exploration of justice and crazy 40 minute finish that made little sense.

I will assume that anybody intending to watch this film will have seen the original; if not it won't make too much sense as no time is wasted introducing characters or their situation. Protagonist Lino is still determined to capture the corrupt former policeman responsible for the death of his mentor. Unfortunately for him others are less keen. Senior officers want to offer him a deal to bring down corrupt senior officers still in the force and those corrupt officers want to kill him. If Lino is to get justice he will have to face more danger; mostly behind the wheel of his mentor's heavily modified Renault 21.

If you enjoyed the first film, as I did, this is definitely worth watching. The plot may be fairly threadbare but it serves to give lots of thrilling action... and that is what the film is all about. The action is mostly in cars with a chase through oncoming traffic, another through what appears to be a storm drain and several impressive collisions and other crashes. This is all very impressive with minimal obvious special effects. There are also a good number of fight scenes. Usually in such a film one never really feels the protagonist might be in real danger but here that is not the case; especially in a later fight scene. The action is solid, as is the direction. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of Euro-action, just remember to watch the first movie before watching this.

These comments are based on watching the film in French with English subtitles.

THE LOST BULLET 2 (C+) is the follow-up to a underrated French action film about French cops using souped up cars to interrupt a drug smuggling ring using fast cars on the highway. This one re-writes the ending of the first film a bit and picks up on the corruption conflicts that drove the first film. When I say "picks up", I mean it uses the same conflicts from the first film as the entire plot for this one. It almost feels like this is just DLC for the first film, extra action scenes based on the skeleton of the first film. Nearly the entire second half of the film follows the lead character Lino trying to get a witness smuggled into Spain but running into trouble. The initial chase scene to get out of France and near the border is a really strong one, but it feels like the film only takes a couple of breathes before it gets back to the car action. The action isn't bad, it just peaks early on and becomes "pretty good" the rest of the way. It kinda gets old without more story as the main players all kind of just go back and forth on their motivations at the turn of a hat. Strong action here, horrible plot that feels thread bare and lacking.

There was certainly a lot more happening with the action and suspense, but I found the story had too many inconsistencies and kept bouncing between pot holes and ridiculousness in the narrative. It's like the writers couldn't decide if Lino should be the antagonist or protagonist. Plus the entire narrative was really unfocused and didn't build much from the first film, and it seemed they were aiming for a more Fast and Furious ridiculousness feel; the action was a little too phony and overboard. Nevertheless, the action was choreographed well, all casting and performances spot-on, and the great pacing made the 98 min runtime fly by. Hopefully if there's a third installment, we'll get the continuation that will actually include Areski for more than a few minutes.