FIRST RESPONSE
Canada, 2015, 89 minutes, Colour.
Dania Ramirez, Kristopher Turner, Joris Jarsky, Adam Butcher.
Directed by Philippe Gagnon.
First Responses is an interesting kind of thriller with a difference, the aftermath of a club robbery and shooting, the robbers hailing down and ambulance forcing the paramedics to deal with the wounded brother.
Perhaps unnecessarily and certainly rather awkwardly, back stories of the two paramedics are introduced with flashbacks throughout the film, giving some kind of character background but it seems rather superfluous, given the action.
The brother concerned about his brother who has been shot has a gun, has taken cocaine, is continually threatening, on edge. The wounded brother seems rather calm, in pain, haemorrhaging, experiencing surgery for the removal of the bullet. The two paramedics are sympathetic, Camilla being rather sympathetic and strong minded, Gerry also sympathetic with a wife and son, not as forthright as Camilla except when he goes to a hospital to commandeer material for the surgery
The keeps quite an amount of tension – but with a twist at the end when the brother who was wounded turns out to be the brains behind the robbery and has decided to kill the paramedics because they can recognise him.
1. A different kind of thriller? The criminals? The robbery? Shootings? Hailing down the ambulance? The work of the paramedics? The threats?
2. Philadelphia, city, clubs, the streets, hospitals, paramedics supervision? The musical score?
3. The title, the role of the paramedics?
4. The introduction to Austin and Dermot, Austin and the cocaine, ready for the robbery, going into the club, the threats, the guns, taking the money, the safe, the undercover policeman, shooting, wounding Dermot, the escape, the car, hailing down the ambulance?
5. Camilla and Gerry, the response? Their personalities? How effective the insertion of their life stories into the action narrative? Camilla, her background, her husband, seeking jobs, his date, her being upset, the computer, his being injured? Gerry, the shooting, surviving, his wife on the phone call, his son? The two working well together?
6. Austin, the gun, concern about his brother, the cocaine? Forcing the two to work on his brother, the interruptions, his threats, his concern? Camilla and her fighting back, his control? Taking the phones? No contact with the supervisor? His gratitude for their helping Dermot, going to the pharmacy with Gerry, creating the disturbances in the hospital, Gerry taking what was needed for the surgery? His promising that Gerry would go free, especially his listening to the phone call?
7. Camilla, stronger minded, wanting to intervene, not succeeding? Her skills in keeping Dermot alive, her various strategies? Confrontations with Austin? Going to the warehouse, being chained? The decision to get the bullet out? The return, the equipment, her Austin succeeding with the bullet? Her turning the tables on Austin? His taking her as hostage with the knife? Out on the tarmac, the plane, the threats?
8. Dermot, not taking the cocaine, his part in the robbery, being shot? The wound, consciousness, danger of infection, the loss of blood, Camilla giving her own blood in transfer? The surgery, the removal of the bullet? His wanting a clear head? On the tarmac? His gratitude – and the irony of his being the brains, his wanting to shoot Camilla and Gerry as witnesses? The disruption – and the shooting?
9. The supervisor, the contact, the information, the film, discussions with the authorities? Investigator, the information about the movement of the ambulance, the warehouse? The phone call from the hospital? The police arriving, the tarmac, the shootout, Camilla and Gerry safe?
10. Popular ingredients, keeping the attention – and the irony of Dermot being the brains and his wanting to kill the term had helped him to live?
