On the Run - DVD

Movie: When inmate Franck Adrien (Albert Dupontel) escapes from prison and the body of his wife is found a short time later, it is clear to investigator Claire (Alice Taglioni) that he must be the killer and that Franck must be caught at all costs before there are any more victims. What Claire doesn't suspect is that Franck is not the killer, but his former fellow inmate Maurel (Stéphane Debac), a sick serial killer who plays a perverted game with Franck. When he threatened Franck's family, the desperate man had no choice but to flee just months before his actual release. And now, as he flees from the police while desperately trying to save his daughter's life, the game Maurel has started is getting bloodier and bloodier. By the time Claire begins to realize she may be chasing the wrong man, it may be too late.

On the Run is a gripping mix of On the Run and The Silence of the Lambs, spiced up with other elements from various prison and serial killer thrillers. Director Eric Valette has packed an exciting story into a coherent costume of old-fashioned thriller set pieces and contemporary action cinema. Even if the whole thing seems a bit overloaded at times, the end result is fully convincing. On the Run grabs the viewer after just a few minutes and doesn't let go until the finale.

The mix of quieter character moments, slowly building tension and fast-paced chases is absolutely coherent and, after a somewhat unwieldy beginning, soon condenses into a gripping thriller that, although the identity of the killer is quickly revealed, is never boring and knows how to entertain the viewer at its best. Tight mise-en-scène, atmospheric camerawork and, above all, convincing actors ensure that the film works well, even in its slightly bumpier moments.

Albert Dupontel delivers a great performance as a desperate prisoner on the run. The fact that Franck is no innocent is clearly evident. Nevertheless, the man is the film's most sympathetic character and, with his rough, direct manner, the exact counterpart to the sleazy, hidden sick serial killer Maurel, played with gruesome intensity by Stéphane Debac. Finally, Alice Taglioni manages the feat of avoiding being relegated to attractive accessory. In her first action role, Taglioni is utterly convincing as a tough cop.

On the Run is perhaps not really surprising as a story. As an action thriller, however, the film is great French entertainment cinema, guaranteed to give genre fans an enjoyable and exciting evening at home. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The sound of the DVD can come up with good sound effects and atmospheric ambient sounds in some scenes, which positively supports especially the more action-packed moments. In other moments, however, the dialogue dominates, though it is also very well tuned. The picture is overall very clean, the image sharpness is on a good, but not outstanding level. Overall, the technical realization of the film can convince quite despite minor weak points.

Extras: As the only bonus, the DVD has a rather interesting interview with director Eric Valette to offer, who tells a little about his intentions and the shooting. Not uninteresting, but a bit promotional and short.

Conclusion: On the Run is a suspenseful thriller that knows how to captivate until the last minute despite a somewhat overloaded story and offers good entertainment between classic thriller and contemporary action. The DVD is technically on a good level, the bonus material, however, is a bit meager. Nevertheless, this French thriller is in any case: absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp