Film & TV

Film Review: Bastille Day

An American pickpocket finds himself the lead suspect in a Paris terrorist attack & teams with a reckless CIA agent to prevent another one on Bastille Day.

When you wake up to find yourself being blamed for a crime you didn’t commit, where can you turn and who can you trust?

Richard Madden (HBO’s Game of thrones) stars as Michael Mason, an American pickpocket living in Paris. Mason picks the wrong person to steal from, and finds himself the lead suspect in a Paris terrorist attack. Reckless and irresponsible CIA agent Sean Briar, played by Idris Elba (Pacific Rim), is tasked with picking him up for interrogation. Enemies turn to allies as Briar and Mason, unsure who they can trust, are forced to work together with the looming threat of another terrorist attack on Bastille Day.

With a stellar cast like Madden and Elba you expect to see a high quality flick and Bastille Day does not disappoint. Mason’s cheeky wit brings humour to help break up an otherwise serious and intense film. The two main characters are total opposites and deliver fantastic chemistry with moments of comedic banter that the film needs.

Bastille Day is not a high budget film, however it successfully captures many aspects of a Hollywood blockbuster. The fight scenes and stunts are well executed and well deserving of the R rating the movie has for violence. The pace is well kept and makes the movie all the more enjoyable to watch.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of Paris, the film echoes the recent terrorist attacks, making it a haunting reminder of how the fiction that entertains us is often second to the real world situations it mirrors.

The film boasts a strong supporting cast who all hold their own against the powerhouse stars. The supporting cast includes Charlotte Le Bon, Kelly Reilly, Jose Garcia, and Eriq Ebouaney. Director and screenwriter James Watkins executes the plot twists effectively and keeps the audience guessing until the very end.

Reviewed by Cassandra Holmes

Rating out of 10:  7

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