Overdose

No one like Auteuil, Karyo, or Gérard Lanvin is present, and without exception, you couldn't care less about every single character from the masses on the side of the law, gangsters, or both. The author has excelled in the past in terms of realism and unsettling rawness, but he's starting to seriously lack in the former. This Marchal is drifting away from the old Marchal, heading somewhere toward producer Besson, and nobody’s interested in that. (18/11/2022)

An average French action flick following a team of smugglers trying to pass goods and a group of detectives who are remotely tracking them and trying to get them. The characters are unexpectedly likable and it’s easy to find an emotional path to them, the visuals are lush, crisp, intense and at times almost perfect, and the action is bold as well, the background music adds grit and there is plenty of realistic gunfire and blood. What I see as the biggest problem is the two-hour running time, too long for a film that doesn't move much in terms of story, at times I was looking at my watch and wishing they had cut the result by half an hour. As I mentioned before, the action is solid, I just wish there wasn't so little of it, because two major set-pieces and one minute shootout is unfortunately not enough for me. All in all, a watchable average that manages to pin the viewer in their seat in certain passages and captivate with cleverly written characters, but in other moments contrastingly discourages with its 120-minute running time and scenes that make will more impatient viewers yawn. The French can do better. (13/11/2022)

Olivier Marchal and another tough macho gangster flick! The combination of France and Marchal has suited me for over 10 years now, the guy makes decent genre films and I always look forward to each of his new releases. This time he's switched from Netflix to Amazon, where similarly-themed films can be found, and while it's not as good as his previous efforts, he still maintains his directorial standards and I still enjoy the hell out of it. The story is obviously clichéd and this time Marchal hasn't tried to invent anything new, he simply relies on rawness, authenticity, realism and if that's enough for you, you'll be satisfied. I liked the fact that the film focuses on the mobsters rather than the cops – none of the main characters are downright interesting, but it doesn't matter. The action is properly raw and brutal as is usual with Marchal, the atmosphere and mood is reminiscent of the best of Sicario, and technically and directorially the film is also of a high standard. If you want a purely male genre film without higher ambitions, Overdose is the right choice. 7/10, (11/11/2022)

Olivier Marchal never misses the mark! His experience with police units gives him a deep understanding of how things work behind the scenes. That’s why his films have a distinctive style and flair. This time, with Overdose, he takes us into a Spanish setting. The film relies on highly contrasting characters (the main villain is excellently portrayed by Alberto Ammann, whom you might know as Pacho Herrera from Narcos) and a naturalistic tone (which the French excel at). It features intense scenes, sex, and high-quality shootouts (especially the car shootout meets the highest standards). Story-wise, the film doesn’t offer many surprises or twists. However, the pacing is more than decent, and all the storylines are neatly wrapped up by the end, which gets a thumbs up from me. Yeah, I can appreciate detective stories from the land of the Gallic Rooster. For me, it’s a solid 7.5/10. (23/03/2023)