Film Reviews

Trilogy 1: On The Run

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Alex Tomassian
• Details: Belg / 117 mins / (No Cert).

Made as part of an ambitious trilogy which delves into three separate genres, using the same characters and governed by the same events, On the Run is a punchy Belgian thriller about justice, love and the power of change. The escaped terrorist Bruno (Belvaux himself) escapes and heads back to Grenoble. His plan is to continue the campaign that he went to jail for some fifteen years, despite the fact that the landscape has changed in a way which he can't quite believe. His former comrades have reneged on the cause and he is apparently alone in carrying his ideals through to early middle age. To make matters worse, he's the subject of a manhunt, headed by Pascal (Gilbert Melki).
An expressive little thriller, 'On the Run' might be part of one of the most ambitious trilogies of the year, but it also works well as a stand alone excursion. Making good use of its thriller premise, Belvaux displays that he's got a good eye for suspenseful set pieces with a few neat moments. More impressive is his brave introduction of a few brave flashback sequences which will ultimately reward those who participate in the ultimate trilogy experience. As an experiment, this is definitely worth investigating.

Review by Garreth Murphy