Not to be confused with the John Boorman classic of the same name, Point Blank (2019) is in fact a remake of the 2010 French thriller from director Fred Cavaye. Relocating the action to Cincinnati, this take on the material turns out to be an energetic and fast paced crime thriller, and one of the better remakes to come out of Hollywood in some time.
Covering much of the same ground as the original, there are enough small changes made to keep it seeming fresh. Anthony Mackie plays Paul, an emergency room nurse who is working towards becoming a doctor. He finds himself being coerced into helping murder suspect Abe (Frank Grillo) escape from the hospital after his heavily pregnant wife is kidnapped.
What at first seems like a simple exchange scenario soon turns into a tale about a government conspiracy and a police cover up. Now Abe and Paul must become unlikely allies, not only to save Paul’s wife but uncover who is really behind the whole cover up.
This isn't the first Point Blank remake, as it has been remade a number of times, both officially and unofficially. Amongst them have been South Korean helmer Chang's The Target (2014) and the Bangladeshi produced Password (2019).
While the original is the most economical version and the Korean remake has the best action scenes, Joe Lynch's take on it is certainly the most accessible, with great performances, a witty script and gritty action scenes.
Initially cutting his teeth on horror movie Wrong Turn 2 (2007), Lynch just gets better with every feature. He already had shown his skill at handling action with Everly (2015) and the terrific Mayhem (2017). Point Blank may be his most accomplished film to date. It is certainly his most mainstream.
The violent action is relatively small in scale, which is in line with the story being told. Lynch and his director of photography Juan Miguel Azpiroz shoot the action well, resisting the temptation to use the dreaded shaky cam, something much larger productions should take notice off. Azpiroz had previously shot Grillo’s other Netflix crime thriller, the excellent Wheelman (2017).
Standouts are Mackie and Grillo’s escape from a hospital and Grillo’s one on one fight scene in a car wash, which uses its location to its full advantage.
The only real issue with the action is that it mostly takes place in the first half of the film, with the finale feeling somewhat anti climatic, as it goes for a more dramatic denouement, rather than an exciting one. Still, the same was true of the original.
With a run time of only 86 minutes, Lynch keeps things moving at an increasingly fast pace, although the film does slow down slightly in its second half for some character development.
The script by Adam G.Simon has enough new additions and memorable dialogue to differentiate it from other versions of the tale. There aren't many action movies I can think if where a crime boss takes time out to discuss the merits of director William Friedkin and how Sorcerer (1977) is a better film than Star Wars (1977).
Both Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie are terrific in the two lead roles. Grillo is one of the hardest working actors currently working in Hollywood, with Point Blank being one of five films he appeared in throughout 2019. Netflix seems to be the ideal market for Grillo, with this and the previous Wheelman being two of his most enjoyable starring vehicles.
In addition to starring, Grillo also produced, along with regular collaborator Joe Carnahan. They already have another collaboration to come, the sci-fi thriller Boss Level (2020), which will find Grillo share the screen with Mel Gibson.
As expected, Grillo is totally convincing as the bad ass anti-hero, with his injuries making him a bit more vulnerable than some of his other roles. Unlike other buddy movies, he and Grillo never actually become friends and overcome their differences, but they do come to an understanding.
Mackie gets the more everyman role of the two, with his concern for his wife being his main motivation. Clearly out of his depth, with him getting beat up quite a few times as the film progresses, he still takes action when needed.
Teyonah Parris does well in what otherwise could have been a damsel in distress role. She is put through an especially trying ordeal, trying to fight off her kidnapper while at the same time hold back on giving birth.
Christian Cooke also impresses as Abe’s nervy brother and Marcia Gay Harden is as reliable as ever as the tough cop on Abe and Paul’s trail.
Accompanying the action is a terrific 80's style soundtrack, with music from the likes of ABC and Whitesnake being well integrated into the action.
Point Blank turns out be quite a surprise, and is almost on par with its original, with it only being bettered in the action stakes by its Korean counterpart. With it being a tight 86 minutes, there isn’t really an excuse for not finding the time to give it a go.
While Point Blank wasn't exactly released to DTV/VOD, I felt that it's release straight to Netflix warranted its review in this section.
Rating: 3.8/5
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