The rating is unfairly low and it's sure easy to see why: considering the outline, the audience was expecting the umpteenth version of "the most dangerous game" ; it's actually much closer to psychological drama than to action movie ;it may remind you of the construction of Clouzot 's "le salaire de la peur" in which the first hour was a disproportionate introduction .The comparison is not gratuitous : in the 1953 classic, four broke adventurers accepted an extremely dangerous mission ; in "les tourmentés", a former legionnaire now a homeless wreck ,accepts to be the prey of some of kind of huntress Diana,for a hefty sum, in a hunt which would take place in the Rumanian carpathians .
The novel was based on different POV ,and Lucas Belvaux had to invent a fragmented narration ,playing cat and mouse,not with the characters ,but with the viewer : the human torches , the camouflage,are not in the indicative present ,which probably infuriated the action movie buff .
The legionnaire honor has not that much changed since the thirties when it was a frequent subject (Feyder's "le grand jeu" ; Duvivier's " la bandera"); it's a former sergeant who provides his employer with her prey ,out of manly camaraderie "there's no more sarge ,just call me Max".
Back in civilian life,does Max really want to help his former brother in arm ? The interprets are all excellent and Ramzy Bedia ,as the tout, displays all the subtleties of a tormented soul ;he feels for his friend , perhaps ashamed of himself , makes friends with his former mate's family;we do not deal here with cardboard characters with the hero and the villains ,the movie avoids any over-simplification.
The former legionnaire ,outlaw from society , has kept his sense of honor: if he's killed during the hunt , his wife and kids will receive his wages (of fear); till the very end,he's ready to sacrifice his life because he despises himself and thus he can redeem his tormented soul. Niels Schneider,with his hangdog looks,wins over his audience.
And then ,there is this icily ruthless huntress :Linh-Dan-Pham achieves the feat of being threatening whilst remaining cool,restrained ,almost wise; she represents the bourgeoisie,the wealthy ones who can exploit their fellow man, nay make them the victim of their deadly games; it could be a methaphor of a society hard on the underdogs ,but,here again,do not go by appearances : her past is revealed ,little by little , though much of her life remains in the shadow ,she's a victim too .
In direct contrast with her, her prey's wife (Deborah François) :she's a nurse and one perceives her firm independence of men ( not the damsel of the thirties in awe of those legionnaires );Before the hunt, the unfortunate hero wants to make the best of the months before :he buys mountains of thing to his children but his wife warns him"" they're not used to luxury,I want them to be aware of the price of the things I buy"; the evolution of the character is the weakest link of the screenplay: she's a clever woman, so how can she be so naive to believe her failed husband can be in charge of such responsibilities in his so-called job?
But the main subject remains: can the value of a human being be counted in euros or dollars?
Definitely off the beaten track ,"les tourmentés" is certainly one of the strongest French works of 2025.
