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.
Review of The Red Siren
