Go Fast (DVD)

There seems to be a general consensus in the UK that says that the French know how to make films. No doubt there is a case for this mindset, as France has produced some truly excellent works over the years. The Troi Coleurs trilogy, Delicatessen, Amelie, I’ve Loved You So Long and A Prophet have all done the red, white and blue proud in recent times, but that shouldn’t fool us into believing that the French aren’t as capable of producing a turkey as any other filmmaking country.

Luckily, Go Fast is here to prove just that. An attempt to combine the gritty realism of life in a narcotics squad with tense action, turns into what can only be described as a cinematic non-event. A hardened narcotics officer (Roschdy Zem) infiltrates an international cartel operation after one of their middle men bumps off his best friend.

And that’s pretty much it. The plot flaps around like a mentally challenged sparrow, never actually finding a worthwhile thread. Is it an action movie? No, the budget and body count sells anyone looking for a bit of switch your brain off gun-toting fun very short indeed.  Is it a police drama? No, we know who the perp is from the very beginning, there’s no mystery, no twists and turns, it just sort of...happens.

From a directorial perspective, it’s not all bleak. Olivier Van Hoofstadt keeps the gritty vibe up throughout, with his low res handheld style of shooting occasionally making a decent homage to Michael Mann in places and the story arc saves itself from being completely without merit, mainly in the first act when Zem’s protagonist is making the transfer from street cop to special drugs squad status.

The cast is a mixed bag, all of them struggling with uninspired material. Suffering most is Zem himself, a poor choice of lead who lacks the charisma to sell the empathy required to make us believe in his character’s vendetta. Jil Milan does much better, delivering a convincing performance as amoral drug trafficker Lucien.

Go Fast is a movie that just doesn’t seem to care one way or the other. It functions as a piece of drama, but it is so utterly unremarkable as to inspire nothing but indifference from its audience. Crime thrillers are supposed to be just that, thrilling but this offering is enough to make you fall asleep at the wheel.

Overall Verdict:  It’s actually quite difficult to put together a crime thriller this tedious.  Even fans of the genre will struggle to find much to keep them interested here.

Special Features:
Trailers
“Making Of” Featurette

Reviewer: Alex Hall