Bastille Day - directed by James Watkins
Screenplay: Andrew Baldwin & James Watkins
Music Score by: Alex Heffes
Cinematography: Tim Maurice-Jones
Edited by: Jon Harris
Running Time: 92 minutes
Rated: R16 - Violence, full frontal nudity & profanity
This one slipped quietly into town with not a single trailer (that I saw at least) and a generic action flick poster that screams 'maybe give this one a miss'.
But Mark Kermode on his excellent Kermode and Mayo's Film Review podcast frequently gives it the okay so it has been on my 'maybe' list regardless.
(Check out the show here link - it is excellent)
As it happens I was in the mood for some light, non-challenging entertainment this morning and an action movie seemed just the thing.
And sure enough - this is a perfectly serviceable action movie that is really quite enjoyable.
The plot of "Bastille Day" almost justifies the national holiday title.
Almost.
An American pickpocket working the streets of Paris steals a bag from a young woman not knowing that it contains a bomb.
After it goes off eh is implicated in a threat that decrees that a major event will take place on Bastille Day.
The event could realistically have happened any day of the year as it turns out but then the movie would have had to settle with a less impressive title such as say 'Saturday' or 'Tuesday'.
Regardless the plot does find some relatively new slants on a genre that often struggles to find anything new to do.
In this case it plays on the assumption that terror threats are solely the domain of Islamic groups.
To say more would be to spoil a couple of surprises but luckily this one can be recommended on more than just its story.
There has been a lot of talk about a new James Bond of late and a couple of names keep getting thrown up as possibles.
Tom Hiddleston is one and as much as I like this idea I am on board with the other - Idris Elba.
He is having a fine year with the massive animated hits "The Jungle Book" and "Zootopia" already to his name and "Star Trek Beyond" and "Finding Dory" coming very soon.
In "Bastille Day" he plays CIA man Sean Briar.
This is the cliched no-nonsense, loner, tough as nails sort of character that is custom made to be be paired up with an opposite for all sorts of larrikins.
Enter Richard Madden's pickpocket Michael.
We have seen him steal a number of watches, wallets and passports en masse in an opening scene that uses a completely naked woman as a diversion.
Bafflingly the actress who plays this character is not credited at all which is shame because Stephane Caillard does a terrific job with this scene and another two that she is in.
What we are shown here will come into play frequently as the movie contines and the scenes focusing on Michael's dubous talents are some of the best in the film.
The supporting cast deserves some credit here too.
Kelly Reilly (Mrs Watson in The Sherlock Holmes films) plays Elba's boss and it is great to see a different slant on this sort of role.
Usually this would be a gruff Gary Busey or Nick Nolte type but Reilly adds something new here.
She has quite a few scenes that impact the plot too.
Less well served in this area is Charlotte Le Bon ("The Walk", "The Hundred Foot Journey") who technically is the third lead but has little more to do that follow Madden and Elba around.
I like Le Bon a lot and she deserves better than this.
Her character is constantly in danger and even though the bad guys have her in hand several times they spectacularly fail at killing her.
Her role does highlight the main issue with the film too - it has some credibility issues.
Too often professionally trained people screw up in ways that are baffling.
The villains of the piece are the worst offenders.
It is vitally important to them that they take out Elba, Madden and Le Bon and when they find them stopped at an intersection all conveniently packaged up in the same car and unaware that the villains are around these idiots yell out to them and open fire with 9mm pistols.
They don't move closer to get better shots with weapons inaccurate over distance.
Nor do they use their own car to disable the vehicle containing the trio.
It is a face-slappingly bad screw up for a crew that has demonstrated considerable skill previously.
Similarly it is hard to believe that Elba has the might of the CIA behind him - he is constantly on the back foot and lacking support, weapons or intelligence assistance.
Perhaps it is a comment on the state of the genre that these issues don't come close to ruining the movie as frankly they are far less heinous than anything that happened in "London Has Fallen" or "Point Break" (the remake that is).
"Bastille Day" is cast, shot and written well enough that it is easy to overlook a few faults here and there.
If you like action movies this one is unlikely to disappoint you.
It builds considerable tension and there is enough chemistry between Madden and Elba to make it constantly fun.
It isn't a Die Hard but then it isn't trying to be.
Maybe Elba took at as an audition pitch for Bond- there is an awful lot of Bond in his performance and in some of the action scenes.
I had quite a bit of fun with this one and it certainly kept my eyes on the screen from the sit up in your seat opening scene to the very final moments.
Around about three times better than "London Has Fallen" on what I imagine was a far lower budget.
RATING: 71 / 100
CONCLUSION: Bastille Day is not genre-shattering and is unlikely to become a franchise but it is fun, well executed and original enough to distinguish itself in the wake of dismal failures such as London Has Fallen and Point Break.
Starring: Idris Elba, Richard Madden, Kelly Reilly, Charlotte Le Bon, Jose Garcia, James Cox, Eriq Ebouaney, Thierry Godard, Anatol Yusef, Stéphane Caillard
Screenplay: Andrew Baldwin & James Watkins
Music Score by: Alex Heffes
Cinematography: Tim Maurice-Jones
Edited by: Jon Harris
Running Time: 92 minutes
Rated: R16 - Violence, full frontal nudity & profanity
But Mark Kermode on his excellent Kermode and Mayo's Film Review podcast frequently gives it the okay so it has been on my 'maybe' list regardless.
(Check out the show here link - it is excellent)
As it happens I was in the mood for some light, non-challenging entertainment this morning and an action movie seemed just the thing.
And sure enough - this is a perfectly serviceable action movie that is really quite enjoyable.
The plot of "Bastille Day" almost justifies the national holiday title.
Almost.
An American pickpocket working the streets of Paris steals a bag from a young woman not knowing that it contains a bomb.
After it goes off eh is implicated in a threat that decrees that a major event will take place on Bastille Day.
The event could realistically have happened any day of the year as it turns out but then the movie would have had to settle with a less impressive title such as say 'Saturday' or 'Tuesday'.
Regardless the plot does find some relatively new slants on a genre that often struggles to find anything new to do.
In this case it plays on the assumption that terror threats are solely the domain of Islamic groups.
To say more would be to spoil a couple of surprises but luckily this one can be recommended on more than just its story.
 |
| Idris Elba playing Sean Briar |
Tom Hiddleston is one and as much as I like this idea I am on board with the other - Idris Elba.
He is having a fine year with the massive animated hits "The Jungle Book" and "Zootopia" already to his name and "Star Trek Beyond" and "Finding Dory" coming very soon.
In "Bastille Day" he plays CIA man Sean Briar.
This is the cliched no-nonsense, loner, tough as nails sort of character that is custom made to be be paired up with an opposite for all sorts of larrikins.
Enter Richard Madden's pickpocket Michael.
We have seen him steal a number of watches, wallets and passports en masse in an opening scene that uses a completely naked woman as a diversion.
Bafflingly the actress who plays this character is not credited at all which is shame because Stephane Caillard does a terrific job with this scene and another two that she is in.
Regardless the opening is a great way to get an audience to sit up and take notice and not only due to the exposed flesh.
It very slickly shows Michael's skills. It is like a more subtle version of the excellent scene in "Focus" in which Will Smith teaches Margot Robbie the skill.What we are shown here will come into play frequently as the movie contines and the scenes focusing on Michael's dubous talents are some of the best in the film.
 |
| Game of Thrones star Richard Madden as pickpockey Michael |
Kelly Reilly (Mrs Watson in The Sherlock Holmes films) plays Elba's boss and it is great to see a different slant on this sort of role.
Usually this would be a gruff Gary Busey or Nick Nolte type but Reilly adds something new here.
She has quite a few scenes that impact the plot too.
Less well served in this area is Charlotte Le Bon ("The Walk", "The Hundred Foot Journey") who technically is the third lead but has little more to do that follow Madden and Elba around.
I like Le Bon a lot and she deserves better than this.
Her character is constantly in danger and even though the bad guys have her in hand several times they spectacularly fail at killing her.
Her role does highlight the main issue with the film too - it has some credibility issues.
Too often professionally trained people screw up in ways that are baffling.
The villains of the piece are the worst offenders.
It is vitally important to them that they take out Elba, Madden and Le Bon and when they find them stopped at an intersection all conveniently packaged up in the same car and unaware that the villains are around these idiots yell out to them and open fire with 9mm pistols.
They don't move closer to get better shots with weapons inaccurate over distance.
Nor do they use their own car to disable the vehicle containing the trio.
It is a face-slappingly bad screw up for a crew that has demonstrated considerable skill previously.
Similarly it is hard to believe that Elba has the might of the CIA behind him - he is constantly on the back foot and lacking support, weapons or intelligence assistance.
Perhaps it is a comment on the state of the genre that these issues don't come close to ruining the movie as frankly they are far less heinous than anything that happened in "London Has Fallen" or "Point Break" (the remake that is).
 |
| left to right - Charlotte Le Bon, Kelly Reilly and a mystifyingly un-credited Stephane Caillard |
If you like action movies this one is unlikely to disappoint you.
It builds considerable tension and there is enough chemistry between Madden and Elba to make it constantly fun.
It isn't a Die Hard but then it isn't trying to be.
Maybe Elba took at as an audition pitch for Bond- there is an awful lot of Bond in his performance and in some of the action scenes.
I had quite a bit of fun with this one and it certainly kept my eyes on the screen from the sit up in your seat opening scene to the very final moments.
Around about three times better than "London Has Fallen" on what I imagine was a far lower budget.
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