The novel LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR (1950) by Georges ARNAUD has already produced two classics in film history: LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR (1953) by Henri Georges CLOUZOT with Yves MONTAND and the unforgettable Peter van EYCK and SORCERER (1977) by William FRIEDKIN with Roy SCHEIDER, Bruno CREMER (MAIGRET, TV series from 1991) and the German-speaking actors Karl JOHN, Friedrich von LEDEBUR (Queequegg from MOBY DICK) and Peter CAPELL. Is it necessary to release a third film then? Why not! The story itself is strong enough to be retold again and again.
The French director Julien LECLERCQ, who over the past 20 years has already presented some representatives of the French PolAr genre (French-style crime films) such as LUKAS / THE BOUNCER (2018) with Jean Claude van DAMME, finds an interesting approach by using the Story relocated to the desert (shot in Morocco). Beautiful images with the Atlas Mountains in the background! The action moves to an unnamed country on the African continent. The protagonists are mercenaries and employees of an NGO. The exciting initial situation of explosives having to be transported through impassable terrain can also be conveyed fairly credibly under these circumstances.
But there is one catch: the protagonists of the novel are all unsympathetic. In the films in which they were played by top-class actors such as Yves MONTAND or the two-time ACADEMY AWARD nominee Roy SCHEIDER, the audience was still able to emotionally root for them and sympathize with the protagonists. The outstanding French action stars Alban LENOIR and Franck GASTAMBIDE cannot do this because they clearly lack the acting resources to do so. With the two BALLE PERDUE films (2020 and 2022) and AKA (2023), LENOIR has already scored a few NETFLIX hits, but its outstanding action qualities are simply not enough for this film with its complex characters. Franck GASTAMBIDE (SANS REPIT, the French imitator of HARD DAY from South Korea) also doesn't have enough emotional depth to spark the audience.
Scandal rapper Sofiane ZERMANI has been developing more and more into an established film actor since his appearance in FRERES ENNEMIS (2018) alongside Matthias SCHOENAERTS, but even with bleached hair he can't keep up with the cast from the classics from 1953 and 1977.
The role played by Ana GIRARDOT reveals another shortcoming of the new edition. Her character is a committed NGO employee who is clearly supposed to bring a positive note to the action. But that's exactly wrong, because it's about nihilistic dislikes who you could still root for in the films from 1953 and 1977. Sincerity, understanding and empathy do not suit the characters in LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR.
If there is still a remotely functioning film industry in Europe, it is the French one. In 2023, French films were able to attract more than 70 million visitors (source: Blickpunkt FILM) to the cinemas. In comparison, German cinema only reaches around 17 million visitors (source: Inside KINO). And that includes co-productions like JOHN WICK 4, which was partly created at STUDIO BABELSBERG!
It is therefore good that a global streaming service like NETFLIX is making such an expensive genre like the action film possible in France with its financial resources. However, a good script always remains the most important prerequisite. Beautiful desert images and intense battle scenes are just the accessories to bring a good story even better into the foreground.
Despite all the reservations, it's definitely worth seeing!
The French director Julien LECLERCQ, who over the past 20 years has already presented some representatives of the French PolAr genre (French-style crime films) such as LUKAS / THE BOUNCER (2018) with Jean Claude van DAMME, finds an interesting approach by using the Story relocated to the desert (shot in Morocco). Beautiful images with the Atlas Mountains in the background! The action moves to an unnamed country on the African continent. The protagonists are mercenaries and employees of an NGO. The exciting initial situation of explosives having to be transported through impassable terrain can also be conveyed fairly credibly under these circumstances.
But there is one catch: the protagonists of the novel are all unsympathetic. In the films in which they were played by top-class actors such as Yves MONTAND or the two-time ACADEMY AWARD nominee Roy SCHEIDER, the audience was still able to emotionally root for them and sympathize with the protagonists. The outstanding French action stars Alban LENOIR and Franck GASTAMBIDE cannot do this because they clearly lack the acting resources to do so. With the two BALLE PERDUE films (2020 and 2022) and AKA (2023), LENOIR has already scored a few NETFLIX hits, but its outstanding action qualities are simply not enough for this film with its complex characters. Franck GASTAMBIDE (SANS REPIT, the French imitator of HARD DAY from South Korea) also doesn't have enough emotional depth to spark the audience.
Scandal rapper Sofiane ZERMANI has been developing more and more into an established film actor since his appearance in FRERES ENNEMIS (2018) alongside Matthias SCHOENAERTS, but even with bleached hair he can't keep up with the cast from the classics from 1953 and 1977.
The role played by Ana GIRARDOT reveals another shortcoming of the new edition. Her character is a committed NGO employee who is clearly supposed to bring a positive note to the action. But that's exactly wrong, because it's about nihilistic dislikes who you could still root for in the films from 1953 and 1977. Sincerity, understanding and empathy do not suit the characters in LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR.
If there is still a remotely functioning film industry in Europe, it is the French one. In 2023, French films were able to attract more than 70 million visitors (source: Blickpunkt FILM) to the cinemas. In comparison, German cinema only reaches around 17 million visitors (source: Inside KINO). And that includes co-productions like JOHN WICK 4, which was partly created at STUDIO BABELSBERG!
It is therefore good that a global streaming service like NETFLIX is making such an expensive genre like the action film possible in France with its financial resources. However, a good script always remains the most important prerequisite. Beautiful desert images and intense battle scenes are just the accessories to bring a good story even better into the foreground.
Despite all the reservations, it's definitely worth seeing!