The Prey

One of the best tense thrillers seen in a long time though be also prepared to witness the terribly sick side of the human mind so well depicted. The film is packed with superb action, chases, suspense and tension and yet never feeling over the top as the scenario painted is so very plausible. Albert Dupontel plays the role of the fugitive prisoner with such realism, one gets the impression one is watching a docu-drama.

Where good many films content themselves with ensuring the viewer is left in a pleasant frame of mind as the story finally unfolds, this one has the courage to portray events more akin to reality, perhaps this may explain the film's low IMDb score and why even the critics may have found the movie hard to stomach?

Don't miss LA PROIE. It's a fast paced action kidnapping thriller as I saw in TAKEN. In fact it is long time ago I gave to a thriller the highest vote. The actor Albert Dupontel was great here. He played the role as the prisoner so credibly and cool that he must get the Oscar. Director Eric Valette convinced me too. Bravo to all the staff. The stunts has been all executed at a very respectable level and without any help of CGI effects. They will take your breath away. There were puzzles to solve and I guessed all the time what will come next. The locations in South of France were pretty. This is how movies should be made nowadays. At the end I was without words there and I still cannot realize that I watched one of the best french thriller ever made. The french film industry created with cable TV companies once more an unforgettable work. And where are you Italian film people? It's long time ago I saw a remarkable movie from my origin country. I think the last one was LA VITA È BELLA with Roberto Benigni. So don't wait and see LA PROIE, you won't be disappointed. This DVD will find a nice place in my best of DVD collection.

French thriller that moves right along, incrementally closing down your brain as it does so. Albert Dupontel has the face to makes it work as a con on the lam but he's undermined by his nemesis - lady cop Alice Taglioni who looks likes she's just stepped off the catwalk. Her long, luxuriant arms look like they wouldn't trouble a fly of average strength but here they're knocking perps flat out. Even for the French, this is a bit de trop. The rest of the cast are the real deal with everyone playing their part to the hilt. It also looks good and the endless chases are well executed but in most aspects it's blown away by French TV cop shows like Spiral.

Director Eric Valette isn't exactly breaking new grounds but this is well made entertaining action thriller. For those of you who enjoyed Henri-Georges Clouzots & Jean-Pierre Melvilles films, or Luc Besson and of course Olivier Marchals films this should be perfect for you.

When it comes to casting this film doesn't disappoint...for example we have Albert Dupontel plays antihero Franck Adrien very convincingly, and he looks very tough while beating prisoners, shooting police officers, stealing cars etc while trying to save his family.

Alice Taglioni as the sleuth who wont give up her chase after Franck Adrien is new face to me. I don't remember seeing her in any other before but she did a good job here.

Stéphane Debac is very good and gives chilling performance as Jean-Louis Maurel, a person who might be more dangerous then Franck Adrien.

Sergi López I always liked since seeing Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien (2000)here only has small supporting part but is very good.

Biggest flaw here is some plot twists, screen writing could've been better and also, more depth in characters and story etc. It seems that Eric Valette has moved away from well written dark horrors like Maléfique (2002)and only focuses on the action.

But strangely I found this to be more compelling then US produced action thrillers like The Bourne Identity (2002. Just wish Eric Valette could go back to this roots like Maléfique (2002)or at least get a much deeper script. But seems with this film and with Une affaire d'état (2009)that he is moving in another direction.

This almost comes across as a TV Movie but its standard is much higher.

The action is mostly but not entirely in the tension. There are some really nice entirely physical cliffhangers to pull you to the edge of your seat.

The characterisation is superb and the plot, while admittedly a cliché, is excellently implemented.

Anyone who likes police drama or investigative thriller will find this an unusually good film of its genre.

For those that like any amount of the above but also want some eye candy, the cast will appeal to male and female alike.

I'm not that big on cheap melodrama type stuff (preferring deeper movies) but this one got me with the clarity and definition of portrayal of each role in the film.

It shocks. A bit like a knife in the side ;)