Four out of
Five stars
Running time:
114 mins
In French with English subtitles
The first part in Lucas Belvaux’s ground-breaking genre trilogy is a
brilliantly directed, well acted, gripping thriller. A cinematic event in the making.
Director Lucas Belvaux’s impressive genre trilogy was a critical hit at this year’s Edinburgh festival and it’s been the recipient of an impressive media campaign in the last few weeks.
DIY Trilogy
The trilogy comprises a thriller, a comedy and a melodrama and although the films can be seen in any order, they are being released ‘thriller, comedy, melodrama’, with the comedy to follow on November 28th and the third part on December 5th (although it’s worth noting that they were released in France with the comedy first and the thriller second).
Lucas Belvaux stars as a one time revolutionary who escapes from prison and comes looking for the gangster who betrayed him. Along the way, he hooks up with ex-comrade Catherine Frot (now a teacher) and her colleagues: glamorous, chalet-owning Ornella Muti and heroin addict Dominique Blanc.
These characters will be the focus of the other two films, since all three films take place around the same time, meaning that the audience’s perception of the events is different each time as we learn more about each character.
On The Run is probably the most enjoyable film of the three – it’s certainly the one that stands alone most successfully. It also has a superb final shot. Highly recommended.