Political correctness is not solely a Hollywood phenomenon, as exemplified by the new French-language action thriller AKA.
Alban Lenoir portrays Adam Franco, a French Government Special Ops agent. He's essentially a killing machine, with a dark past that involved being incarcerated at a young age for a revenge killing stemming from a domestic violence incident.
From the beginning, Adam is an unlikable character. After escaping from his captors inside a cave in Libya, he not only slaughters a group of terrorists but also kills their main hostage-a woman we expect him to save. This woman, it turns out, was a progressive social activist journalist. So, why is the protagonist, Adam, initially introduced as a villain?
Well, it's all about redemption, folks. Adam takes orders from the enigmatic Kruger (Thibault de Montalembert), who is in cahoots with Senator Marconnet (Philippe Résimont). Marconnet wants Adam to locate Moktar al Tayeb (Kevin Layne), a Sudanese warlord whom he holds responsible for a recent terrorist bombing in Paris.
To find Moktar, Adam must infiltrate crime boss Victor Pastore's (Eric Cantona) syndicate, as Victor seems to have some connection to the alleged terrorist.
Victor initially appears tough, but surprisingly, his entire operation is funded by his wife Natalya (Sveva Alviti), who runs a brothel.
The first step towards Adam's redemption is when he forms a bond with Victor's stepson, Jonathan (Noé Chabbat), and subsequently saves him after the boy is kidnapped by Victor's rival, Amet (Igor Kovalsky). Adam implausibly dispatches the rival crime boss and his thugs in one of the many violent sequences scattered throughout the film.
With the help of two other undercover agents, Adam gets back on track. Unfortunately, these agents are eliminated before they can locate the alleged terrorist.
Finally, Adam earns significant brownie points when he finds Moktar. However, the twist is that Moktar is not the terrorist we anticipated. It's unclear whether Marconnet needed a scapegoat for the recent bombing or was concerned about his previous connection with the Sudanese leader, who apparently fell out of favor with the French government.
Adam discovers Moktar in a makeshift hospital, where the warlord is praying for his young daughter's recovery from severe injuries inflicted by Kruger's government forces.
Moktar is killed by the government soldiers, but Adam saves the day by rescuing his injured daughter. It's puzzling why nobody is pursuing Adam after he eliminates numerous soldiers, but there's a hint that Marconnet's influence has waned when the media exposes his scheme to blame the innocent but now deceased Moktar.
While watching AKA, you won't gain much insight into the ideology behind modern-day terrorists. We catch a glimpse of faceless villains in the opening scene, but that's about it.
Did you really expect the film's screenwriters to depict Moktar as a vicious bad guy spouting fundamentalist slogans? Instead, the antagonists are one-dimensional right-wing ideologues determined to suppress those who embrace progressive (left-wing) politics.
Adam however improbably proves himself to be a humanitarian, especially when he decides against killing Moktar and saves his daughter.
Ironically, most Western governments today lean towards excessive left-leaning social activism. So, why are the bad guys in contemporary films so often one-dimensional right-wingers in positions of power?
AKA is brimming with implausible yet well-choreographed action scenes, which may be enjoyable to watch. However, the portrayal of the antagonists can only be described as a "cheap shot."
Alban Lenoir portrays Adam Franco, a French Government Special Ops agent. He's essentially a killing machine, with a dark past that involved being incarcerated at a young age for a revenge killing stemming from a domestic violence incident.
From the beginning, Adam is an unlikable character. After escaping from his captors inside a cave in Libya, he not only slaughters a group of terrorists but also kills their main hostage-a woman we expect him to save. This woman, it turns out, was a progressive social activist journalist. So, why is the protagonist, Adam, initially introduced as a villain?
Well, it's all about redemption, folks. Adam takes orders from the enigmatic Kruger (Thibault de Montalembert), who is in cahoots with Senator Marconnet (Philippe Résimont). Marconnet wants Adam to locate Moktar al Tayeb (Kevin Layne), a Sudanese warlord whom he holds responsible for a recent terrorist bombing in Paris.
To find Moktar, Adam must infiltrate crime boss Victor Pastore's (Eric Cantona) syndicate, as Victor seems to have some connection to the alleged terrorist.
Victor initially appears tough, but surprisingly, his entire operation is funded by his wife Natalya (Sveva Alviti), who runs a brothel.
The first step towards Adam's redemption is when he forms a bond with Victor's stepson, Jonathan (Noé Chabbat), and subsequently saves him after the boy is kidnapped by Victor's rival, Amet (Igor Kovalsky). Adam implausibly dispatches the rival crime boss and his thugs in one of the many violent sequences scattered throughout the film.
With the help of two other undercover agents, Adam gets back on track. Unfortunately, these agents are eliminated before they can locate the alleged terrorist.
Finally, Adam earns significant brownie points when he finds Moktar. However, the twist is that Moktar is not the terrorist we anticipated. It's unclear whether Marconnet needed a scapegoat for the recent bombing or was concerned about his previous connection with the Sudanese leader, who apparently fell out of favor with the French government.
Adam discovers Moktar in a makeshift hospital, where the warlord is praying for his young daughter's recovery from severe injuries inflicted by Kruger's government forces.
Moktar is killed by the government soldiers, but Adam saves the day by rescuing his injured daughter. It's puzzling why nobody is pursuing Adam after he eliminates numerous soldiers, but there's a hint that Marconnet's influence has waned when the media exposes his scheme to blame the innocent but now deceased Moktar.
While watching AKA, you won't gain much insight into the ideology behind modern-day terrorists. We catch a glimpse of faceless villains in the opening scene, but that's about it.
Did you really expect the film's screenwriters to depict Moktar as a vicious bad guy spouting fundamentalist slogans? Instead, the antagonists are one-dimensional right-wing ideologues determined to suppress those who embrace progressive (left-wing) politics.
Adam however improbably proves himself to be a humanitarian, especially when he decides against killing Moktar and saves his daughter.
Ironically, most Western governments today lean towards excessive left-leaning social activism. So, why are the bad guys in contemporary films so often one-dimensional right-wingers in positions of power?
AKA is brimming with implausible yet well-choreographed action scenes, which may be enjoyable to watch. However, the portrayal of the antagonists can only be described as a "cheap shot."