Movie review «Ad Vitam»

On January 10th, the crime thriller/action movie «Ad Vitam» starring French cinema star and Marion Cotillard’s boyfriend Guillaume Canet in the leading role was released on Netflix. Whether there’s something in the movie worth spending your time on — read the review below.

«Ad Vitam»

Genre crime thriller, action
Director Rodolphe Loga
Cast Guillaume Canet, Stéphanie Cayo, Zita Hanrot, Alexis Manenti, Johan Heldenbergh
Premiere Netflix
Release Year 2025
Website IMDb

Former elite squad GIGN officer Frank Lazaref encounters a mysterious group of enforcers who kidnap his pregnant lover, Leo. The bad guys demand evidence left with Frank after a shootout at a hotel, which could, — to avoid spoilers, let’s use a generic cliché — lead to catastrophic consequences. Moreover, the beleaguered hero is on a manhunt, as he is being framed, and now must work hard to save Leo and clear his good name.«Ad Vitam», which translates from Latin as «to life», presents an extremely simple, and therefore fitting within the context of a thriller/action movie, story filled with desperate heroism, functional characters, and several thrilling action scenes. But you have to endure until them, as structurally the film makes a huge narrative detour, offering the viewer a prolonged backstory that leisurely explains the reasons for the complex situation Frank finds himself in.

The filmmakers abruptly slow down the set pace and shift the audience’s attention from the plot twists and tricks by Guillaume Canet ala Ethan Hunt to intense training or cozy team gatherings in the style of Dominic Toretto and family. They go way too far back, to the point where the main character joined the service, found friends, got a significant other, etc. Consequently, the flashback stretches to at least half of the film, significantly reducing engagement in the narrative, and eventually, it turns out that the expectations were not worth it.Why not? Because in the end, it all boils down to shootouts, chases, and typical «damsel in distress» rescues, despite the fact that the latter is capable of knocking out tough guys left and right in her 8th month of pregnancy. And the reason for all this commotion (and why we had to endure a lengthy flashback) ultimately doesn’t matter.

It becomes noticeably more interesting in the last half hour, when the narrative returns to the current timeline and offers showdowns in the style of good-old-fashioned action movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger or anyone else from the old-school fighter cohort. Here you have revived dynamics, tense shootouts, and an exciting off-road chase filmed, as is now fashionable, from the interior of the fleeing car. The lively climactic act alone saves this mediocre film from complete failure.

For instance, right in the middle of the forest, two motorcycles conveniently appear for the enemies just when needed for further action — very convenient. Later, the main character, again, when things get hot, acquires an ownerless paraglider, reminiscent of Xander Cage from «xXx» (2002), who fearlessly soared over the river in Prague. Not to mention the local landing, which belongs in comedies about Johnny English, not in a supposedly serious plot. Here, perhaps, it’s easier to take it all as a video game, where the character finds loot on his path that helps him pass the «level».

Writing the screenplay was a collaboration between French filmmaker Rodolphe Loga, who had previously focused more on the comedy genre, and the leading actor Guillaume Canet. And the creative duo did reasonably well in places, especially regarding the action part aimed at Ethan Hunt on a budget. But ultimately, the tedious segment that takes up most of the runtime barely adds any dramatic depth and spoils the overall impression of the film. So if you miss it — you definitely won’t lose anything.