Final Bullet, now streaming on Netflix, concludes the journey begun by Lino (Alban Lenoir) within the entertainingly outlandish French motion movies Misplaced Bullet and Misplaced Bullet 2. (Concludes it for now, at the least.) Alongside the way in which, Lino punched a variety of goons and cops. He punched a variety of different cops, who have been truly goons. And Lino even kinda grew to become a cop himself for a minute, as a part of a particular group making use of his ability with bespoke, souped-up autos to intercepting “go-fast gangs” operating medicine throughout the French-Spanish border. Final Bullet places Lino again in play, alongside his police power ally/real love Julia (Stéfi Celma). They search closure for the mess of soiled cops and drug cash that took the lifetime of their revered colleague Charas (Ramzy Bedia). However as is typical for these motion pictures, any justice they search will solely be discovered beneath the hood of a personalized automobile.
LAST BULLET: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: In case you weren’t down with all that occured within the Misplaced Bullet saga, Final Bullet opens with a “beforehand on…” recap, as if the whole movie collection was one lengthy season of tv. So that you’re reminded of why Lino (Lenoir) continues to be within the custody of Spain’s Civil Guard once we meet him once more. You’re given a primer on all of the dangerous shit pulled by Areski (Nicolas Duvauchelle), the detective who walked out on his spouse and younger son when his corruption and killing of different police was revealed. And also you’re refreshed on the standing of Julia (Celma), who’s principally one of many solely sincere cops left in France. The manipulations of Commander Resz (Gérard Lanvin), the narcotics division chief, have led to a torsion second. Lino is freed, Areski is on the run, and Julia’s standing with the power is within the arms of Lieutenant Moss (Pascale Arbillot), who anybody who saved up with the Bullet movies – or who watched that introductory recap – would know is extra more likely to aspect with Resz than rank-and-file like Julia.
That’s nice, you may be asking. However what in regards to the loopy vehicles? Guillaume Pierret, the director and co-writer of those motion pictures, has at all times sported a aptitude for gonzo customized creations. Within the first one, there was Lino’s battering ram automotive, which he used to rob banks. And in the second, there was his beloved Renaut 21 Turbo – it as soon as belonged to Charas, his mentor – to which Lino hooked up electrified grappling hooks. And within the custom of the Quick & Livid movies, Final Bullet can’t transfer ahead till Lino builds a brand new automobile with particular options to cease the dangerous guys. Now, you higher not be like, “Nicely, what if Resz and his provide of closely armed thugs arrive in a helicopter? What is going to Lino and his customized experience do then?” As a result of the newest customized job, which Lino constructs with the help of Julia’s gearhead pal Sarah (Julie Tedesco), is sort of ready for aerial countermeasures.
Final Bullet then turns into a collection of interconnected sequences. The massive automobile construct sequence, with its welding torches and showers of sparks, and close-ups to obscure what’s rising. (The A-Group did this lengthy earlier than the Quick movies, and it stays satisfying.) The Resz-consolidates-his-criming sequence. (Gérard Lanvin doesn’t have a complete lot to say on this, however he performs an excellent villain, so the glares and the taunts suffice.) And the sequence the place Julia drives an armored Mercedes G-Wagon via the sedans – and semi-trucks – of the soiled cops pursuing her. Will Julia and Lino win the day? The guidelines that sometimes information cinematic anti-heroes say sure. However alongside the way in which, whilst you can count on a good quantity of high-speed chaos and at the least one sports activities automotive getting fricasseed, don’t count on the plot of Final Bullet to make a complete lot of sense.
What Motion pictures Will It Remind You Of? Final Bullet is continually reminding you of the flicks that got here earlier than it – it incorporates footage from each Misplaced Bullet 1 and Misplaced Bullet 2. However Bullet heads must also try Alban Lenoir in AKA – it leans successfully on his skill to hold a battle sequence – and Stéfi Celma within the French motion comedy Good Ladies.
Efficiency Value Watching: Julie Tedesco wins Efficiency Value Watching honors for Final Bullet, as a result of it’s extra of her efficiency as Sarah we most want we have been watching. She’s cool, she operates a storage, she will be able to flip any automotive right into a monster. She has rapport with fellow grease monkey Lino. So why is her position lowered to being a placeholder? Perhaps Tedesco will seem as Sarah within the subsequent spherical of Bullet movies that Final Bullet doesn’t say are deliberate, but in addition doesn’t not say are deliberate.
Memorable Dialogue: “I’m all out of causes to remain,” Lino tells Julia, and neither character acknowledges what’s an apparent admission of the alternative.
Intercourse and Pores and skin: None.
Our Take: Misplaced Bullet and Misplaced Bullet 2 have been outlined by their pleasing synthesis of immediacy and automotive carnage madness. Every prolonged battle sequence propelled Lino bodily into the subsequent, and for any automobile to be launched, it was additionally required that or not it’s lowered. In Final Bullet, there are nonetheless prolonged battle sequences, and autos that turn out to be dismembered collections of their consultant elements. However the story threads that linger from the primary movies are gathered in an untidy jumble that isn’t almost sturdy sufficient to bind Final Bullet collectively. Flashbacks, and characters introduced again solely to be killed off – these items occur, however don’t make a lot of something extra clear. Lino himself, who represented the guts and soul of the sooner movies via Alban Lenoir’s mix of Statham-like insouciance and welterweight pugilistics, usually drops out of the narrative fully. And whereas Stéfi Celma brings an actual presence to Julia, and shares a pleasant little bit of chemistry with Lenoir, her character is just ever in response mode. Final Bullet tosses into the air every part left over from the Misplaced Bullet 1 and 2. But it surely doesn’t have a powerful sense of the place any of that stuff will land.
Which is why, with this Bullet, we simply needed extra customs inflicting destruction. Lino is the form of automotive builder legend who makes a black thumb like Sarah starry-eyed once they meet. So how come us seeing his creativity within the storage will get severely shorted by us having to find out about what Areski was as much as whereas on the lam? Shocker: it was dangerous. When Lino was lastly on the street to constructing the proper new beast, we felt prepared to look at the destruction in Misplaced Bullet unfold. However we have been left asking extra questions than dodging the flying automotive elements.
Our Name: STREAM IT for its moments of accelerating aggression, shattering security glass, and outrageous feats of automotive frames flipping via the air like enjoying playing cards. However don’t stream Final Bullet for something resembling strong storytelling.
Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an impartial author and editor residing at massive in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Information, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.
