Summary
An new Netflix Original film pits one Frenchman against a group of armed troublemakers with some explosive results. The final act lives up to the title, but is it enough?
French action director Julien Leclercq is determined not to be confused with the 19th century poet of the same name. Known for L’Assaut (2010) and The Informant (2013), his latest is a low-key siege-style thriller that’s surprisingly leisurely.
Saïd (Sami Bouajila) lives at a remote sawmill there with his impaired teen daughter Sarah (Sofia Lesaffre). After one of his employees is forced into hiding recently-stolen cocaine on the property, the stage is set for a showdown
Even at an ostensibly brisk 80 minutes, Leclercq’s script (co-written with Jérémie Guez and Matthieu Serveau) it takes a while for EARTH AND BLOOD (or La Terre Et Le Sang if you prefer) to get to the inevitable. An early subplot about Saïd’s recent medical diagnosis doesn’t really go anywhere after setting the scene. Especially if we’re itching for the shooty bits to start.
Yet its a beautiful film in parts as well. In those quieter moments there’s whole sequences where we watch mist rolling in over the mountains. Brecht Goyvaerts’ cinematography is a desaturated affair in the driving rain, full of slate greys and browns, which sounds awfully drab but is actually effective for the surroundings. There’s a later shot of the bad guys standing in front of a burning building which is about as iconic an action shot as you’ll find anywhere.
It’s that setting that provides the backdrop for a fairly effective action sequence. Using some interesting spins on the genre, including playing with the soundscape via Sarah’s hearing aids, throw the viewer into the action. It’s also suddenly and surprisingly brutal at times, including the use of a buzzsaw with the expected results.
For all of this temporary style, Leclercq doesn’t seem to have considered much beyond these handful of scenes. The elongated exposition and a jarringly abrupt conclusion dump us into the credits before we’ve had a chance to catch our breath. Still, it’s encouraging to see Netflix playing more international films as part of their Originals series, even if they don’t stray too far from the mould of the low-budget actioners we’ve seen on the streaming giant to date.
2020 | Frace | DIRECTOR: Julien Leclercq | WRITERS: Julien Leclercq | CAST: Sami Bouajila, Eriq Ebouaney, Samy Seghir, Sofia Lesaffre | DISTRIBUTOR: Netflix | RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 17 April 2020 (US/AUS/Worldwide)
