The Prey

It's easy to root for one of the "bad guys" in this smart thriller from Eric Valette.

Franck (Albert Dupontel) is serving time for a bank robbery when he finds himself rescuing a fellow prisoner from a brutal attack. He believes the man, Jean-Louis (Stéphane Debac), is innocent of the crimes for which he's accused. When Jean-Louis is released from prison, he offers to pay back Frank's kindness by helping him protect his family on the outside.

Fearing he may have made a terrible mistake in trusting Jean-Louis, Franck escapes from prison and lives on the run, desperately searching for his wife and child while at the same time hiding from law enforcement who believe he's a serial killer.

Each layer of discovery in this film represents a thrill ride for the audience—from the cops in pursuit of Franck to the sadistic nature of the real serial killer. There are foot chases, shoot-outs,  stake-outs, setups and an abundance of bloody results.

Thankfully, the lead actors do a brilliant job of convincing the audience that each act is feasible, which is enough to keep us hanging on through the twists and turns of the story to the very end.

Though there are undeniably formulaic elements to the script, the results are perfectly satisfying.

SIFF Sighting: JUMP (drama; Ireland)

Ever since Trainspotting hit theaters in 1996, directors have been trying to emulate it.

It will come as no surprise when this film, Jump, earns comparisons to the trailblazer since all of the hallmarks are there: crime; bloody fights; damsels in distress (who don't want help); fast music; dance clubs and depression.

Set in Northern Ireland on New Year's Eve, Greta (Nichola Burley) can't seem to successfully jump off of a Derry bridge because Pearse (Martin McCann), fresh from a fight, feels like being a hero. Soon they're bickering just like Jack and Rose from Titanic and he's determined to save her from herself.

Of course, there's a twist: Greta's dad (a mad crime boss) is after Pearse due to an earlier mess he got himself into, but of course, they don't know that as they're slowly (but really rapidly) falling in love.

Really, there's nothing wrong with the film except for all of the things I mentioned above. It has a decent story, fine actors and a frenetic pace to keep viewers interested, but it's nothing we haven't seen before.

JUMP will screen at the 39th Annual Seattle International Film Festival on June 1, 2 and 5. For tickets, click here.

SIFF Sighting: 38 WITNESSES (Thriller, France)

In the spring of 1964, a young woman named Kitty Genovese was brutally raped and murdered in New York, just steps from her apartment. 38 people heard the attack; none acted quickly enough to save her life.

This true story became famous and ignited many psychological studies into group mentality (the theory was that most likely everyone who heard her screams figured someone else had already called the police).

Kitty's murder also inspired this film, 38 WITNESSES, a fictional version of the crime which takes place in France.

This spin on the situation focuses on the guilt of the witnesses rather than the loss of the girl.

At first, all claim not to have heard anything at the time of the attack, but then Pierre (Yvan Attal), who lives in the same complex, can't live with himself and comes forward to confess he heard it all. This causes the investigation to re-open and interview the 37 other witnesses as well. Of course, not all 37 were asleep during the crime.

Director Lucas Belvaux poses an interesting question in his exploration of the witnesses, that makes us ponder the aftermath of the real event. What happened to all of those people who heard Kitty die? Did they suffer remorse for their silence? Did they just go on as if nothing had happened? Or were their relationships, jobs and futures affected by the tragedy?

The acting and production value in this film is superb, though we would've probably felt more empathy with the characters had we spent some time with the victim. We as an audience don't get to learn about the life that is lost, which does provide a convenient detachment from the case.

But it's a good, solid film from an impressive director and cast.


38 WITNESSES will screen later this month at the 38th Annual Seattle International Film Festival. For tickets, visit the SIFF website.