SANS REPIT/RESTLESS

France, 2021, 96 minutes, Colour.

Franck Gastambide, Simon Abkarian, Michael Abiteboul.

Directed by Regis Blondeau.

Here is an exciting and quickly paced French police drama. But, it is not just about investigations, the main interest is in police corruption, taking money from drug deals, and police finding that they are in further than they ever dreamt, more extensive police corruption.

The title of the film in English, Restless, seem something of an understatement with the French phrase being translated as “without let up”. That seems a far better description of what happens. The film itself is a French version of an original Korean film, A Hard Day, the same plot and characters (but the Korean film running 15 minutes longer than the French version).

While the film has fast paced action, taking place, more or less, over 36 hours, it is also a character study of the central character. He is Thomas, a reputable police officer in a provincial city, divorced, devoted to his young daughter. And his mother has just died and he is taking care of her funeral with his sister. He is played very effectively by Franck Gastambide (and, with his bald pate, and his facial features, he strongly resembles Vin Diesel who might be ideal if there were to be an American remake!).

At the opening, Thomas is driving his car, under strong pressure, being warned that internal affairs are coming to inspect his locker and question his associates about money on drugs. He is also driving to the hospital, the mortuary room where his mother is resting and the lid is about to be put on her casket. A dog on the road and he swerve. A further swerve and a dead body – and a life changing decision, self-protective, in retrospect, foolish. He puts the dead body in his car, and, rather ingeniously but testing credibility, in a sequence worth watching, he is able to infiltrate the corpse into the mortuary room and put it in his mother’s coffin.

There is a mystery of who is the dead man and its revelation, Thomas examining the building where he came from and finding information about a security locker.

But, then come mysterious phone calls and the mysterious identity of who is behind the crisis, the man who is wanting the body (and the key to the security box).

This is the moment where anything further might be construed as spoilers. There is quite some action, some surprising developments, and, of course, the dangers Thomas as he confronts the arch-villain (who has absolutely no redeeming features) and a moral decision at the end – the kind of moral decision at the end of the film which has the audience wondering what they would do in Thomas’s place.

A reminder that the French can do police action thrillers well.

1. Strong police drama? French style? Police, corruption, drug dealing, money? Cover-ups? Connected with personal drama of death, family?
2. The setting, the French town, streets, police precincts, headquarters, guns and equipment, contrasting with hospitals, mortuary? The musical score, increasing the film’s pace?
3. The introduction to Thomas, his role with the police, Marc is his friend and godfather of his daughter, working together, Naomi and her training, assistance, the chief of the department? His initial bewilderment, his being called into action, the internal affairs investigation? His mother’s death, deadline for putting the lid on the coffin, contact with his daughter, her wanting a toy? His sister?
4. The context for his being anxious, his driving, the dog on the road and avoiding it, swerving, the dead body on the road? His dilemmas? His option for putting the body in the boot of his car? No turning back?
5. The mortuary, his arrival, sister and daughter, his mother laid out, the crucifix to be put in the coffin? Hammering the screws on the coffin, his asking for more time to be with his mother? The deadline of 10 o’clock, his getting the body, putting it in the vent, his daughter’s toy soldier and the ropes, the battery? Back inside the room, the balloons covering the surveillance cameras, opening the vent, the effort in using the soldier (firing bullets) and drawing the body into the room? The nurses hearing noises, suspicious, checking with security, rules and regulations? Getting the body, putting it in his mother’s coffin, sealing the coffin again, the irony of the mobile phone ringing? Finishing in time, the mortuary director returning?
6. Marc and Naomi, going to Thomas’s locker, finding the money, flushing it down the toilet? Internal affairs not finding anything? Marc, his confronting Thomas, Marc’s wife and her dependency, Thomas and the expenses for his mother’s illness and burial? Tension between the two? Marc later coming in the car, wanting to give up the drug, Thomas giving him the key to the box with the police chief’s cash? And the horror of the dropping of the load on the car and killing Marc?
7. Thomas, the anonymous phone calls, the pressure on him, the caller wanting the body? Defying the dead man, tracking down his accomplice in drug deals, getting the information at the laundromat? Getting the documents and the code for the money in the security box?
8. The revelation that the phone call was the head of narcotics, his arrival, threats, sense of menace? The overview of his success with the nightclubs, the money deals with drugs, mixing with alcohol, the dependencies?
9. Thomas, the meetings with the chief of narcotics, the promise to give the body, his digging up his mother’s grave? Bringing the body, but finding the key in keeping it?
10. Thomas’s reaction with Marc’s death, the narcotics chief threatening his sister and daughter, his getting them away from the city?
11. The background of guns and equipment at the police precinct, his getting the gun, the blanks, the explosives? The set up, putting the explosives in the body? The confrontation with the narcotics chief, the gun, firing blanks, the chief driving away, the explosion? But his surviving, pursuing Thomas, fighting with him, the rounds in the gun, empty chamber, the final shot? Their falling into the water?
12. Thomas, his decisions, standing at the water, Naomi coming to meet him, giving him the key that was found in the car? Decisions about the money?
13. Going to the security boxes, opening, the vast amount of cash?
14. The police officials and the decision for cover-up?
15. And the ending of the film – and audiences wondering what Thomas would do (what they would do)?