Trackless - DVD

Movie: Étienne (Benoit Magimel) is on the verge of fulfilling all his dreams: he has a luxurious apartment, an attractive wife (Julie Gayet) who is soon to give him an offspring, and in a few days he will rise to become the CEO of a lucrative company. What no one suspects, however, is that Étienne's career is based on a big lie. Years ago, he had falsely passed off as his own an invention that had propelled his company to the top. When he confides in his old school friend Patrick (Francois-Xavier Demaison), the latter persuades him to ask the actual inventor for forgiveness and thus ease his conscience. A fatal decision, as Étienne soon finds himself caught in a web of murder, blackmail and lies that could destroy all his dreams forever.

Trackless is a gripping thriller that comes along at a rather leisurely pace, but manages to keep the viewer riveted until the end. Director Grégoire Vigneron, who in the past as a screenwriter has specialized more in comedies like Little Nick or On the Other Side of the Bed, has crafted his directorial debut as a revealing look at vanity and the lust for power, revealing in both a thrilling and entertaining way how in the face of success the boundaries of morality and ethics can become blurred.

Benoit Magimel gives a very convincing performance in the role of Étienne, constantly shifting between arrogance, panic, humanity and ice-cold determination. The young manager, determined to do anything, could easily have degenerated into an all-around unsympathetic character. But this is skillfully avoided here by making Étienne a multi-layered character with many flaws, but also very positive traits. The viewer is able to get so emotionally involved with this protagonist and be captivated by how Étienne seems to be digging his own grave deeper and deeper.

With a very good supporting ensemble alongside him, of whom Frncois-Xavier Demaison (The Labyrinth of Words) , Lea Seydoux (Robin Hood) and Julie Gayet (Kiss Me Please) in particular make a positive impression, Magimel acts confidently through the well-constructed script. And even though the ending is a little disappointing and could have been a little nastier, the overall impression left by Spurless ends up being absolutely positive. For lovers of European thriller fare absolutely recommendable!

Picture + Sound: Since for the test only a data-reduced press sample was available, no rating can be given here about the picture and sound quality of the DVD.

Extras: More than trailers there is unfortunately not to find here. Too bad!

Conclusion: Spurlos is a cleverly constructed and well-acted thriller that only weakens a little towards the end. However, lovers of French entertainment cinema will definitely get their money's worth here. Despite weaknesses in the bonus material, this DVD is therefore also: thoroughly recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp