Netflix AKA review: Budding action star Alban Lenoir excels again

In recent years action fans have been treated to a number of solid French programs on Netflix. Athena was one of the best movies of 2022 by Julien Leclercq Guardian is a solid dark Olga Kurylenko thriller, gang country (and the movie it was based on, Braquers) are excellent crime fare, and Lost Ball and its sequel surpass even the Fast and Furious franchise when it comes to explosive vehicle action.

The latest entry in this burgeoning scene is AKA, a new Netflix pickup starring Alban Lenoir as Adam Franco, a highly skilled special ops agent faced with one of his most dangerous assignments yet. Franco is covertly implanted in the security team of a notorious crime boss (notorious soccer legend Eric Cantona, a tough guy once suspended from the sport). because he kicked a fan). Franco makes a big impression after quickly knocking out the security chief after a verbal spat, and he becomes the bodyguard for the crime boss’s bullied son, teaching the kid how to fight and defend himself.

Alban Lenoir kneels at a child's eye level as they practice on a child's boxing dummy in AKA.

It’s quite a lot “Man on fire lite” – another film that appears to be inspired by Philip Nicholson’s 1980 novel man on fire. AKA isn’t an official adaptation of the book, like Élie Chouraqui’s 1987 French film version or Tony Scott’s 2004 stylized thriller. But it has a lot in common with them: it’s a dark crime story about a grizzled female agent who bonds with a child, and the lengths that this agent takes upon herself when the child is in danger. Scott’s directorial flair is missing, AKA has something that few other films have: Alban Lenoir.

Lenoir began his career as a stunt performer, working on various French productions as well as Pierre Morel’s 2008 Game-Changer out of stock. After a series of small parts, he had his big break in 2015 French bloodwhich was shown on TIFF and in which Lenoir was nominated for a Lumières Award for Most Promising New Actor.

A few years later it came Lost Ball, a strictly self-contained vehicle thriller in which Lenoir plays Lino, a master mechanic and thief who is framed by corrupt cops and framed for murder. To prove his innocence, he must find the last remaining piece of evidence in the crime – a single lost bullet.

Alban Lenoir clenches a fist with his hand on an open car door in Lost Bullet 2 — Lenoir as Lino in Lost Bullet 2

Lost Ball And Lost ball 2 are among the best action films of the decade, using simple narratives to construct elaborate, kinetic set pieces. The fistfights are brutal, the chases are electrifying (sometimes literally), and it’s a turbocharged action series reminiscent of the early Fast and Furious movies.

But Lenoir is the secret sauce to the recipes in this film. He always brings a calm, intense, grounded energy to his roles, with a face that screams, “This guy’s been in a lot of fights.” Lenoir moves like an athlete and hits like a truck, and while playing extremely capable characters who master violence, he infuses them with an everyman energy. Its characters are frequently hit and often exhausted from the grueling battles they end up in. In AKAthere’s a funny scene where Adam just wants to take a nap but keeps getting interrupted by notifications and instructions from his handler (who he communicates with via PlayStation Voice chat, player).

Alban Lenoir walks down a long hallway with an assault rifle in AKA.

Alban Lenoir pushes a man down on a table full of chemical equipment in AKA.

Lenoir is also an author, and he co-wrote the screenplays for both the Lost Bullet films and AKA. AKA sees him reunited with director and co-writer Morgan S. Dalibert, cinematographer on the Lost Bullet films. (The two also worked together on the 2005 films New worldDalibert’s directorial debut.) Some of the action scenes stand out AKA, specifically a complex brawl at a drug den and a brawl outside of a club shown through CCTV. Dalibert also repeatedly frames the action behind long, narrow takes, adding depth to some sequences, and he takes delight in telegraphing objects used in a fight – he lingers on a hook on a wall to alert viewers to it inspire how it will be used brutally.

AKA‘s overarching narrative never really works – there’s a huge conspiracy theory that hovers around the edges of the film, but it’s not given enough time to really come into focus. The film’s pace also slows down when it stops to give some characters more specific backstories, which is a shame since the actors have already filled in many of those gaps through their performances. Luckily, Lenoir’s unique presence helps make the film solid streaming fare.

AKA is at its best when showcasing Alban Lenoir, Action Star, rather than his own status as less stylish man on fire. It’s still worth seeing if you’re interested in the new wave of French action cinema and one of its most intriguing stars. But if you haven’t seen the Lost Bullet movies, definitely prioritize these for some excellent Lenoir action.

AKA now streaming on Netflix.