By Seth Lukas Hynes
Restless
Starring Frack Gastambide, Michaël Abiteboul and Simon Abkarian
Rated MA15+
4.5/5
A French remake of the South Korean film A Hard Day, Restless is a compelling, darkly funny action thriller.
After hiding a body resulting from a hit-and-run, corrupt cop Thomas’s (Franck Gastambide) life unravels when he is blackmailed by a fellow cop.
The first act sees Thomas take ingeniously desperate measures to hide the man he ran over in his mother’s coffin, and establishes important details such as Thomas’s family and his loyal colleague Marc (Michaël Abiteboul).
As suspicion tightens around him and he is forced to revisit his macabre deed, Thomas and the viewer gain insight into the man he accidentally killed and the depth of corruption in his precinct, and Simon Abkarian is very amusing as Marelli, the suave sociopath blackmailing him.
The film’s tight, steady pacing draws tension from Thomas’s worsening situation, but the third act is almost an inversion of the first act, as Thomas uses his ingenuity to turn the tide against Marelli.
The performances feel natural, the dialogue is frequently witty and the action is sparse but impactful, with the climax featuring an impressive explosion-based stunt.
The only weak link is the internal affairs investigation in the opening, which feels like a redundant plot-point.
It’s often hard to discuss films like Restless – simple, very well-constructed films – but Restless stands out for its humour and strong sustained suspense, and is available for streaming on Netflix.
– Seth Lukas Hynes
