Bastille Day (2016)

A young pickpocket and an unruly CIA agent team up on an anti-terrorist mission in France.

Director:

James Watkins

Writers:

Andrew Baldwin, James Watkins

Stars:

Idris Elba, Richard Madden, Charlotte Le Bon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Idris Elba	...	Sean Briar
Richard Madden	...	Michael Mason
Charlotte Le Bon	...	Zoe
Kelly Reilly	...	Karen Dacre
José Garcia	...	Victor Gamieux
Thierry Godard	...	Rafi Bertrand
Vincent Londez	...	Yannick Bertrand
Arieh Worthalter	...	Jean
Mohamed Makhtoumi	...	Christophe
Théo Costa-Marini	...	Xavier (as Théo Costa Marini)
Jérôme Gaspard	...	Yves
Ismaël Sy Savané	...	Serge (as Ismael Sy Savane)
James Stewart	...	Henri
James Cox	...	Pierre
James Harris	...	Marcel

Storyline

Michael Mason, a pickpocket living in Paris, steals a bag with a teddy bear in it. Not realizing the toy contains a timed bomb, he tosses it aside on a busy street. A few seconds later it explodes, killing four people. CCTV footage reveals Mason's face and the French police tag him as a terrorist threat. The explosion, although botched, was set up by a select group of the French Interior Ministry as a decoy so they can make a half billion dollar digital transfer from a bank (closed on French National Day) -- hence the title Bastille Day. In a separate CIA investigation the unruly agent Sean Briar discovers the real story behind Mason's "terrorist attack". The two men, on different sides of the law, collaborate to bring the corrupt members of the Ministry down.

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Plot Keywords:

pickpocket | cia | bomb | swat team | riot | 

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Taglines:

With law comes disorder.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK France USA Luxembourg

Language:

English French

Release Date:

18 November 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Take

Filming Locations:

Paris, Île-de-France, France

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$39,000, 18 November 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$39,000, 18 November 2016

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,397,593, 20 November 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

StudioCanal, Anton, Amazon Prime Video

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The biggest location in London, England was at the Naval War College in Greenwich which stood in for the Paris streets around the Bank of France, the site of the huge scene at the end of the film. Filming in Paris would have been too logistically difficult and the contained nature of the location gave director James Watkins' and his crew complete control over the action.

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Goofs

During the transportation of Sean Briar, Michael Mason and Zoe, the driver gets shot and the van rams some parked cars, during which the van appears to be totaled (broken front axle). Except they keep driving and the shot after it hits the Audi shows an undamaged van, after which it's damaged again in the last shot.

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Quotes

Michael Mason: I can't believe that cop fucking shot at me!
Sean Briar: You're a terrorist suspect who killed four people. What did you expect?

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Connections

Featured in Projector: Bastille Day (2016)

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Soundtracks

The Road Less Travelled
Written and Produced by Fatboy Slim and Idris Elba
Performed by Fatboy Slim (as Norman Cook) and Idris Elba

User Reviews

Better than Bourne!

I am not speaking frivolously when I say that overall, although produced with a fraction of the budget, this is a much better film than the fourth Bourne.

Specifically:

* great opener -- film opens with a dramatic situation that immediately grabs the viewers' attention. You have "connection" from the getgo.

* great script --- many layers and twists. Clever dialog. (At one point the bad guys gloat about how they are manipulating "the hashtags" -- thereby dissing an entire generation. Another line of dialog refers to the use of "action and reaction" to achieve their end -- which is a very sophisticated dig at how politics are managed today.)

* Director writer Watkins know to keep things interesting, you are never bored.

* Elba is nothing short of awesome. Other reviewers are saying he could be a major international action figure. Agree!

Solid entertainment, does not take the viewer for granted, and the clever story keeps you hooked.