The opening sequence of Gareth Evans’ new Netflix original Havoc — a hotly anticipated action epic from the director of the modern classic The Raid — is a lengthy, almost entirely computer-generated chase sequence that features a virtual camera following virtual cars and a virtual big rig truck through a fully digital environment. It’s profoundly disappointing stuff, a weightless bit of animation that denies the physicality of Evans’ best work in favor of “cutting edge” technology. But newer isn’t always better — there’s no tactile quality here, just digital code that runs full speed ahead into the brick wall that is the uncanny valley. Thankfully, an entirely different film premiered right around the same time, Guillaume Pierret’s Last Bullet (also referred to as Lost Bullet 3), a small-scaled, human-sized, almost totally practical cops-and-robbers revenge saga that caps off one of the most pleasurable trilogies in recent memory. Pierret almost totally eschews CGI tomfoolery, instead focusing on the impact of real collisions, whether that be a fist to a face or an armored car into an even bigger car. This is real gear head stuff, an unlikely mix of the original Mad Max and Besson’s Europacorp oeuvre (minus the bad techno music and migraine-inducing quick cutting). While the bloated, hideously distended Fast and Furious franchise left reality in the dust several films ago, Pierret and his collaborators have kept high-octane vehicular mayhem alive.
Last Bullet opens with a helpful recap of the first two entries in the series, although it’s hard to imagine a viewer jumping in cold on the last film in a trilogy. When we last saw former robber-turned cop-turned vigilante Lino (Alban Lenoir), he had just taken the fall for former colleague and occasional significant other Julia (Stefi Celma), who accidentally killed dirty cop Marco and ruined a large-scale corruption case supervised by their boss, Lt. Moss (Pascale Arbillot). They’re all still searching for Areski (Nicolas Duvauchelle), the man responsible for assassinating Lino’s friend and mentor Charas (Ramzy Bedia). Lino winds up in jail in Spain, only to be released into the custody of mastermind Resz, who runs an entire corrupt squad of cop drug runners. However, Resz has also decided to eliminate Areski, who has been living under a false identity but continued his smuggling ways. After Areski narrowly avoids an attempt on his life, he goes on the run. Hot on his trail Is Yuri (Quentin D’Hainaut), Resz’s main enforcer who’s now sporting a brutal facial scar from his run in with Lino in part two.
Last Bullet is by far the longest of the films in the series, spending a fair amount of time moving various players into position and reconfiguring various allegiances. As such, the first big set piece doesn’t hit until about 45 minutes in. But it’s a doozy, as Lino, Areski, and Yuri all converge on a light rail tram and proceed to fight each other. It’s fantastic choreography, as each participant is in defense mode while attacking two opponents simultaneously. The hand-to-hand combat gives way to a prolonged car chase between Lino in a souped-up sports car and Areski on a motorcycle, careening through parks and then narrow, crowded city streets. Pierret, working with longtime editor Sophie Fourdrinoy and new cinematographer Jean-Baptiste Jay, emphasizes speed but also the sudden stops and turns as they hug corners and hop over curbs. Impacts are intensified with precise cutting, with careful attention given to showing both the beginning and end to specific movements. It’s all very fluid, imbuing everything with maximum visual clarity, the quality of both physical and mechanical stunts unobstructed by jagged cutting or shaky cam aesthetics — all three Lost Bullet films are master classes in clean, precise action filmmaking, a tonic for fans of old-school, kinetic mayhem. Pierret wraps up Lino’s story in satisfactory fashion, and if this is the end of the series, then it’s going out on a high note. But here’s hoping Pierret and the gang decide to get back together every few years; at this point, it seems unlikely that further looks at Lino tricking out cars and busting some heads could ever disappoint.
DIRECTOR: Guillaume Pierret; CAST: Alban Lenoir, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Anne Serra, Stéfi Celma; DISTRIBUTOR: Netflix; STREAMING: May 7; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 51 min.
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