ACTION; 1hr 32min
STARRING: Idris Elba, Richard Madden, Charlotte Le Bon
Agent provocateur: Elba
Michael (Madden) is an American pickpocket living in Paris who bites off more than he bargained for when he lifts a bag with a bomb in it and is subsequently branded a terrorist. Zoe (Le Bon) is the distraught woman from whom he steals the cursed thing. Briar (Elba) is the "reckless, insubordinate, irresponsible" CIA agent assigned to Michael's case. Although on opposite sides of the fence, Michael and Briar's seat-of-pants style isn't so different, which stands them in good stead with the hunting down of the real bombers, who are slippery, bent and planning to strike again.
As Bastille Day looms and the city seethes, the timeline is so tight there's not a minute to spare. Clued-up director James Watkins doesn't muck about with the obligatory tension and adrenaline, showcased by a political climate that, regrettably, couldn't be more relevant. Along with the odd leap of logic, about which we're all too psyched to care, maximum impact with minimum introspection is the primo, steak frites deal here: tasty and juicy while it's going down, out of mind as soon as it's out of sight.
