Quantity One on Netflix is a weekly highlight on no matter is at the moment the preferred factor on the world’s hottest streaming service. Generally it’ll be a film. Generally it’ll be a TV present. No matter it’s, lots of people are clearly watching, and we’ll attempt to perceive why with a fast evaluate. Right this moment, we’re wanting on the French motion thriller Advert Vitam.
Franck (Guillaume Canet) is a cop with some actual particular expertise, who met his spouse Léo (Stéphane Caillard) once they have been each trainees in France’s gendarmerie. 10 years into their relationship, Léo’s pregnant, and the completely satisfied couple are wanting ahead to welcoming their firstborn… till, that’s, armed males break into their dwelling, kidnap Léo, and body Franck for some crimes. Now Franck’s on the run, attempting to avoid the authorities whereas save the girl he loves.
It’s a fairly simple set-up for a conspiracy thriller, one with a transparent emotional hook, which looks like a giant a part of why Advert Vitam (Latin for “To life”) has secured a strong place on the Netflix Prime 10 globally since its launch final week. Sure, it’s a French thriller, however its worldwide attain is enabled by the dubbing accessible in 19 totally different languages (I sampled the English dub, and it was fairly strong as this stuff go).
Actually, you would remake this film tomorrow in English with Liam Neeson because the lead — although, contemplating Neeson’s age, possibly it’d be higher if it was a daughter who was pregnant. There’s some strong motion all through, with sequences that vaguely strategy James Bond of their silliness. You understand these powered paragliders, that are mainly only a large fan connected to a parachute and a chair? In the direction of the top of the movie, Franck makes a daring escape on one.
Advert Vitam‘s most notable flaw is the way in which it hops again in time for an prolonged flashback to Franck and Léo’s days in coaching. The preliminary set-up of the primary quarter-hour is compelling sufficient to tolerate the… (checks notes) forty-five minutes of flashbacks and set-up that observe, however the film by no means actually recovers from that lack of momentum. It’s paying homage to an often-abused trope — opening a film or episode with an excessive motion sequence, earlier than flashing again to “48 hours earlier” to arrange why this was all occurring — however not significantly nicely executed.
At across the hour mark, although, the total scope of the conspiracy turns into clear, and the remaining half-hour handle to maintain the motion flowing, largely due to the dedication of Guillaume Canet, a nicely established actor, author, and director in France. He makes for a sympathetic lead, with a face that’s obtained a little bit of Patrick Dempsey’s twinkle (if that does something for you). There aren’t any actual breakouts from the supporting solid, although Stéphane Caillard does notably appear fairly convincing as a girl in her third trimester who can nonetheless kick some critical ass.
Whereas Advert Vitam may not be the most effective Netflix has to supply, it actually feels somewhat extra recent than the platform’s different large launch this weekend, the Jamie Foxx/Cameron Diaz motion comedy Again in Motion. (The primary quarter-hour are painfully paint-by-numbers — a 10-year-old may predict every plot beat earlier than it comes.)
Advert Vitam in the end feels prefer it advantages from a quirk of any rating like this: The curiosity issue that comes with a doubtlessly unfamiliar title residing within the high slot. “Why is that film I’ve by no means heard of earlier than primary on the listing? Guess I ought to watch it to search out out,” the informal viewer thinks, taking part in a self-perpetuating cycle that retains the film’s placement on the high safe.
That stated, its success within the rankings — based on Tudum, it’s acquired 17.1 million views this week, and has been the #1 film not simply in America, however in 30 different international locations — does reaffirm Netflix’s growing attain as a really world platform. Sure, the opposite motion pictures on the Prime 10 within the US are all American, together with the Despicable Me movies, Rush Hour and its sequel, and the Nicolas Cage meta-comedy The Insufferable Weight of Large Expertise, however on the finish of the day, if you’re in your sofa, an excellent story is an efficient story.
Advert Vitam is streaming now on Netflix.
