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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
ON THE RUN
What makes Bruno compelling is that he is
both repellent, especially as he turns calmly violent in the film’s second half, yet
charming. He rescues a woman being beaten by a drug dealer, knocking out her
assailant. She runs off, only to return moments later fleeing a police blockade.
With the noose tightening around them, the addict, Agnès, offers him
refuge. Her apartment is the last place the police would look; her husband is one of the cops
pursuing Bruno. He, in turn, cares for her when her body goes into shock. At this
point, the trilogy’s two main story lines collided.
Not all of the relationships will be clear at first viewing, but as The
Trilogy progresses, they eventually come into focus (such as the connection
between Jeanne and Agnès). The acting is the film’s strength. Jeanne, being
taken in for questioning, subtly bristles at not being able to open a car door,
having to be let out by the police instead. Frot’s restraint contrasts with
Dominique Blanc’s feral portrayal as the strung-out Agnès. And unlike
many recent unrelentingly paced films, such as 28 Days Later, director
Belvaux wisely takes his time in building suspense, not signaling when a bang is
going to occur, and allows the film to surprise. Although a few of the sequences
are a bit too long, (Bruno driving through the streets to a rendezvous with a drug
lord), overall the film is engrossing and well crafted. KT
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On The Run, the first part of The Trilogy, begins swiftly with a
prison escape, followed immediately by a car chase. Bruno, a boyish revolutionary
on the lam, hops on a train and returns to his hometown, Grenoble, nestled in the
foothills of the French Alps. Hiding out in a storage bin, he has everything he
needs: food, water, and tools for making license plates. He even hot-wires a police
car. Although his resourcefulness is superhuman, writer/director Lucas Belvaux
(who also plays Bruno), dispels disbelief by showing Bruno, step by step, trying to
outwit the police. Resembling a boyish Brad Davis, he easily blends into the
crowd. He’s a Marxist Peter Pan, still dressing like the student activist of 20 years
ago before he served time. Out for vengeance against the legal system and the
snitch that sent him to prison, he tracks down Jeanne (Catherine Frot), a former
comrade. Married and now a mother, she has been expecting him, and so has the
police, who have her under surveillance. When she refuses to take part in his
plans, he’s completely on his own.