In most parts of the world, American cinema rules above all, with Hollywood grabbing most people’s attention and money. However, many European countries also possess a rich film history encompassing nearly every genre, with France being among the biggest players.
While tradition dictates Hong Kong has always been the larger influence in the action genre, French cinema has also turned out a few gems that have gone on to inspire several English adaptations that rarely come close to their originals. After all, without Luc Besson, the Taken franchise couldn't have propelled Liam Neeson as a modern action star. However, there’s a lot more to French action than the famed director.
Dobermann – 1997
With a screenplay penned by French sci-fi author Joël Houssin, and based on his eponymous series of novels, Dobermann follows an eccentric pack of criminals playing tug-of-war with a sadistic police officer who will do anything to hunt them down. Dobermann stars French icon Vincent Cassel as Dobermann, and the beautiful Monica Bellucci plays his deaf girlfriend in an action flick that gives off some serious Bonnie & Clyde vibes.
Director Jan Kounen put together a film that is hilarious and tense, one that makes it impossible for the viewer to take their eyes off it. Every scene looks gorgeous, despite its modest budget compared to other action movies. Not only that, Dobermann’s scenes hit hard, delivering audiences plenty of shock and awe.
Taxi – 1998
It’s hard to consider something with Besson's name underrated, yet in between Léon: The Professional and The Fifth Element, he found time to write one of French cinema’s finest action comedies, Taxi. The movie star Samy Naceri, Frédéric Diefenthal, and a young Marion Cotillard. Young Daniel Morales pairs up with a police officer who can’t drive to provide a spectacular number of car chase scenes in the street of Marseille.
If that premise sounds familiar, it’s probably because Taxi got a terrible American remake in 2004, starring Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, Gisele Bündchen. In France though, the sequels go up to Taxi 5 and have always turned out spectacular profits, making it an absolute must-watch. It’s not exactly peak French cinema, but definitely not one to miss.
À Bout Portant (Point Blank) – 2010
The original Point Blank is a rare gem because it thrives on how strong its fight sequences and special effects are, which is not what the older French action classics are known for. Instead, À Bout Portant’s action moments feature a more Bourne or John Wick style, combined with thriller vibes that will make many forget this was made in France, at least until its fantastic shots of Parisian scenery pop up.
Oddly enough, director Fred Cavayé’s action repertoire is practically nonexistent. Most of his work edges closer to the thriller genre. Overall, Point Blank’s “husband out to save his wife” is so foolproof that the movie has been adopted in several countries and languages, with Netflix's Point Blank starring Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo not coming even close to matching the original.
Nid de Guêpes (The Nest) – 2002
Perhaps it's the fact that it’s a remake of an American classic (John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13) makes Florent Emilio Siri’s The Nest not that well known. However, this epic standoff is in no way a lesser version of the former movie, let alone the 2005 version. It could be argued that the differences are mostly aesthetic, with Nid de Guêpes being able to rely on more modern advances. However, the movie’s cinematography feels unmistakably French, unlike the aforementioned Point Blank.
This is perfectly exemplified by The Nest’s end-credits sequence, which is about as melancholically French as it gets, along with the main character being developed in such a short time quite different from how their American counterparts play out. Sure, taking on a hundred Albanian mobsters is hardly realistic, but plausibility is worth sacrificing on this one as Samy Naceri, Benoît Magimel, and Nadia Farès put in excellent performances.
BAC Nord (The Stronghold) – 2020
The most recent entry here, The Stronghold takes place in the perpetually criminal Marseille, one of France’s most dangerous regions, but without the comedic relief Taxi brings to the table. It’s readily available on Netflix and also offers better insight into the city’s criminal underworld than the streamer’s poorly rated original series Marseille.
BAC Nord is the classic tale of good cops and bad cops, with the film eliciting tons of controversy in France when it premiered. It also represents a great case of reviewers' opinions simply not aligning with the audience’s, as it’s always fared much better with users than critics, something that frequently happens in the action genre.