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La sirène rouge More at IMDbPro »

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19 reviews in total

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14 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
Astoundingly bad, 23 May 2003

Author: Mrswing from Brussels

Another train wreck of an action movie (sort of) from the Besson stable... A totally ridiculous storyline about a girl on the run from her superpowerful mother who is evil incarnate (and makes sure everyone knows it all the tile). The girl gets help from a nice mercenary, who takes her to find her missing presumed dead father in Portugal. Acting is generally dreadful (and given the international cast, it's obvious that many actors have been dubbed - badly). There's no rhythm to the story : the first major action sequence occurs more than halfway into the film. And the second and final major action sequence is a ridiculously choreographed fistfight (without Hong Kong influences, for once). Dialogue is dreadful, the psychology is beyond unbelievable, major coincidences are necessary to keep the plot going... It's amazing that 5 people (including the original author AND science fiction great Norman Spinrad) were involved in writing this turkey. The opening part of the film is visually striking but as things go on, style is forgotten. I guess director Olivier Megaton should change his (pen?)name to Olivier Megadud... He's probably quite good at making videoclips or commercials but shows absolutely no talent for storytelling or working with actors. Which means he's perfect for Joel Silver's upcoming projects! Quick, someone call Hollywood!!!

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4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Thoughtful and Stylish, 27 March 2005

Author: pclans1 from Australia

This bloody yet stylish European action thriller is well filmed and ambiguous enough to allow your imagination space for thought. Olivier Megaton direction is thoughtful and holds this interesting picture together. Jean-Marc Barr is good as the trained assassin who becomes the girl's protector. His acting inspires confidence and credibility to become Alice's (the girls) savior. Asia Argento who plays Anita a cynical Police Inspector who also needs to protect Alice. This seems to be at the core of this movie. Both Anita (Argento) and Hugo (Barr) need to protect this girl for personal reasons. Although the film does not elaborate on Anita's past you can sense her empathy seeing Alice as the girl within herself. Hugo on the other hand is a loner and has become jaded by his past experiences and through Alice he finds a reason to once again believe in his own goodness. - PCL

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6 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Flawed and Unbelievable Story, But Entertains, 14 July 2006

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In Paris, the twelve years old girl Alice (Alexandra Negrão) arrives to the police station, and asks to meet detective Anita (Asia Argento). In her office, Alice tells that her mother Eva (Frances Barber) is a sadistic killer and delivers a video showing Eva torturing and killing their maid Sunya. The chief of police does not believe in Alice, but Anita decides to investigate by her own and finds that Eva is a powerful and wealthy leader of an international criminal organization. When Alice escapes from the guard of the detective in charge of her security, she decides to travel to Portugal to meet her father, who is supposedly dead, and is chased by two gangster of Eva's organization. Alice meets the traumatized mercenary Hugo (Jean-Marc Barr), who protects and travels with her to Portugal, trying to find her father, while Eva and Anita also travels to that country.

"La Sirène Rouge" is one of the most unbelievable and flawed screenplay I have ever seen. The storyline is actually a great absurd since the very first beginning until the last scene. Nevertheless, there are many action scenes and shooting and this movie entertains. I personally am a fan of Asia Argento, and her name in the credits was the great attraction for me to see this movie. In the hotel, in the check-in of Hugo and Alice, the soccer game is between Flamengo and another Brazilian team. Later, we can hear the speaker narrating another soccer game in Brazil. Therefore, the language is Portuguese, but the teams and the accent are not from Portugal. I found this sequence ridiculously hilarious. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Alerta Vermelho" ("The Red Alert")

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6 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Entertaining Suspense/occasional action, 18 October 2004
Author: roldog27 from USA

What's to complain about? This was a B rate "action" film. There's an evil evil bad guy (woman) trying to get her prize (daughter) at all costs, while the good guys (guy with a guilty conscience and tough female cop) try to deliver the prize to its rightful owner (the father). This isn't Silence of the Lambs, or North by Northwest. It is chase scenes, gun fights, macho talk, etc.. entertainment like XXX (Vin Diesel), SWAT, or some other entertainment. Jump of your high horse and enjoy yourself! There's nothing here you haven't seen before. However I thought it was well done and entertaining. So what if The Professional with Jean Reno has done this before and better? I like all the movies listed above including Red Siren, and appreciate each for its own merits.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Well done Euro action/thriller, 8 August 2006

Author: DomuOtomo from Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I heard about this film and thought 'meh, sounds like a corny action b-film', expecting something along the lines of XXX. But was taken by delightful surprise after seeing it one night on the Movie Network. Olivier Megaton does a very good job filming this movie, with points for action sequences and style. There are no corny one line phrases you see in typical 0ver-rated action films, and it provides a good selection of characters. The action scenes are beautifully filmed, preferably the gun battle in the hotel and the when the film climaxes at Alice's father's place near the end. The rotating camera around Alice as she kills her mother was a pretty damn cool idea. Acting itself was decent, nothing spectacular but nothing to complain about. Good mix of characters and satisfactory storyline. 7.5-8/10

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2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Some good parts, great cinematography., 14 February 2004

Author: Marc from Melbourne, Australia

The main reason for seeing this film would the chance to see Jean-Marc Barr make good work of his strong role in an otherwise far fetched but entertaining film with a weak supporting cast and a poor script. What really struck me upon first viewing was how dark the story got as the storyline unfolded. Nice images and some good action shots hold it together when the majority of the actors can't.

I have to state that the character of the mother (Eva) is the worst characterization that I've seen in quite some time. I readily will credit European cinema (incl UK) in more originality and risk taking, but this character seems to be derived directly from Cruela Deville in "101 Dalmations" crossed with Jude from "The Crying Game" in both appearance and manner and it doesn't work at all. She's more of a nuisance than a threat. It's her henchmen that are the real antagonists here instead.

Jean-Marc delivers a solid performance and his good press for his acting is well credited in this film. The child "Alice" is okay, but I don't feel as though I connected as well as I could have with this character. What's strongest here is the cinematography and art direction, with some strength from the director in his action shots, believable or not. Overall, it's an interesting film and worth a try but definitely an acquired taste.

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
If it wasn't for the shoot-out..., 30 October 2007

Author: Karol G from Poland

Honestly, if this movie had not included the aforementioned shooting scene, there would be really not much to see. In short, a not bad idea with a bad delivery. Acting not really believable and pardon me, Franch actors trying not to sound French, even with their voices dubbed onto the movie as they most probably could not deliver acting performance together with not sounding French. Funny if not ridiculous at times. Instead of saying the usual French 'otel' - I mean 'hotel', pronouncing every single syllable to the best of their abilities. Totally unbelievable role of the female cop, naive, dumb and artificial. Nice try, try harder next time...

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A hybrid and strong film., 27 August 2002

Author: (doctor.avalanche@free.fr) from Paris, France

From the Maurice G. Dantec novel (author of Les Rivieres Pourpres), Olivier Megaton's film reminds us Luc Besson's The Professional (Leon). It could be no surprise, since Besson produced his first long feature film 'Exit', but the similarities are only in the script. After the 15 awkward first minutes (with the Rammstein 'Sonne' song during the title - not really useful) with an Asia Argento still not comfortable with her english, the director shows his ability to do good intimate scenes - these scenes (dialogues in rooms or in cars) were the strong point of the book, and are the backbone of the film. Contrary to Besson's film which pretended to be an american film, Megaton's cast and set gives a great European feeling. Alexandra Negrao is impressive, and Jean-Marc Barr gives a pure and quiet rendition of Hugo. If you go past the first impression and the action sequences, you might find the atmosphere of this film very touching.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Oedipus action thriller, 5 July 2008

Author: greenforest56 from San Francisco, California

This could have been a far better film than it was. It had a number of strengths: good script, excellent directing, good score and sound editing, good character development, etc.

However, it had one glaring fault that kept it from reaching its potential: the two leads couldn't act. If an actor's emotional range is say an octave, these two could only sing two notes. The supporting actress (detective) had about three. Together they had the dynamism of drying paint.

Despite this failure in casting this is still a good movie worth watching. It just could've been better. Its other strengths both redeem and save it. Even the Oedipal moment that was obviously coming, and one secretly cringed at its coming, when it finally came seemed a natural and just denouement.

One last observation: some may criticize the military tactics, i.e. speed of the attack; remember, this is make believe, not a training film. One might as well criticize the magic Hollywood guns that have far more bullets than any single clip will ever hold.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Red Siren, 10 February 2007

Author: Scarecrow-88 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

A young girl named Alice(Alexandra Negrão)calls on Inspector Anita(Asia Argento, playing a normal person..seems to be going through the motions)to help put her assassin mother Eva(Frances Barber..one evil bitch)away because of the torture/execution of a maid recorded on disc. The killer, however, had a mask and the voice was mechanically altered. Even worse, Eva is a wealthy, powerful woman no matter how cold-blooded she is. Alice will go on the lam as Eva's goons are in hot pursuit. Luckily for Alice she hides in the car of Hugo(Jean-Marc Barr), a freedom fighter for a assassin group called Liberty Bells, who we saw in the opening accidentally kill a child he thought was a soldier. Hugo will assist Alice in the search for her boatmaker father Travis(Johan Leysen)while Eva draws on her lover, the Colonel(Carlo Brandt)and his top mercenary Sorvan(François Levantal)to find their whereabouts. Meanwhile, Anita will be given leave by her boss to go on the road to find Alice herself. It will all lead to a final showdown in the secret location/residence of Alice's father..that is if Hugo can get her there in one piece and if he's even alive.

While, like many of it's kind, this polished, ultra-stylish Euro-actioner asks the viewer to accept a lot of improbable situations(such as the bullet-ridden hotel sequence where several of the Colonel's soldiers attempt to flush Hugo out from hiding resulting in lots of hi-tech gunplay)and coincidences(Alice just happening to choose a talented, top-notch assassin's car to hide in while running from Eva's goons). I enjoyed it even if logic is completely thrown out the window. I liked Jean-Marc as the hero Hugo and thought Barber was effective as the reptilian Eva.

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