Point Blank (2010 film)
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Fred Cavayé (director) |
| Products | Action-thriller film |
Point Blank () is a French action-thriller from 2010, directed by Fred Cavayé and featuring performances by Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gérard Lanvin, and Elena Anaya. The movie premiered on 1 December 2010.
Plot
Samuel Pierret, working as a nurse's aide, accompanies his pregnant wife Nadia to a sonogram appointment where she is advised to take it easy. At the same time, Hugo Sartet, a skilled safecracker, is chased by assassins and brought to Samuel’s hospital after being hit by a motorcycle. Samuel steps in to save Sartet’s life.
After Sartet survives an attempt on his life, police Captain Catherine Fabre is assigned to protect him. However, Captain Patrick Werner assumes control of the case, asserting Sartet’s involvement in his probe concerning Meyer. When Nadia is kidnapped, Samuel is forced into aiding Sartet’s escape in exchange for her freedom. Samuel overpowers a police officer and helps Sartet flee the hospital.
It is revealed that Nadia’s abductors are Luc, Sartet’s brother, and an accomplice named Marconi. During an arranged exchange, Sartet notices corrupt cops among the kidnappers and convinces Samuel to break free. After contacting Fabre for assistance, corrupt Captain Werner arrives first, shoots Fabre, and commands the elimination of witnesses. Samuel and Sartet survive and extract information from Officer Vogel: Werner had enlisted Sartet to open Meyer’s safe to conceal Meyer’s murder and intended to kill Sartet afterward.
Vogel discloses that Werner possesses incriminating evidence against Meyer’s son stored on a USB device in his office and that Marconi betrayed Sartet. Now framed as cop killers, Samuel and Sartet evade law enforcement while discovering Nadia has been relocated following Luc’s death. Sartet eliminates Marconi and formulates a plan to infiltrate the police station amid synchronized robberies creating widespread disorder.
Disguised as officers, they find Nadia held captive by the corrupt Officer Moreau. Werner orders Nadia’s murder disguised as suicide, but Samuel arrives just in time to rescue her. Sartet retrieves the USB drive from Werner’s safe but is interrupted before he can escape with it. Nadia experiences pregnancy complications; meanwhile, Samuel is apprehended after being identified.
Sartet secretly places a phone containing the USB drive into Samuel’s pocket; authorities seize this evidence as Werner arrives too late to stop the exposure of his crimes. Later, Samuel visits Nadia after she has given birth.
Eight years onward, the Pierret family celebrates Christmas while news reports reveal Werner’s suspicious death during a temporary release from custody, hinting at Sartet’s involvement.
Cast
- Gilles Lellouche as Samuel Pierret
- Roschdy Zem as Hugo Sartet
- Gérard Lanvin as Captain Patrick Werner
- Elena Anaya as Nadia Pierret
- Mireille Perrier as Captain Catherine Fabre
- as Officer Anaïs Susini
- Moussa Maaskri as Officer Vogel
- Pierre Benoist as Officer Mercier
- Valérie Dashwood as Officer Moreau
- as Officer Mansart
- Nicky Naude as Officer Richert
- Adel Bencherif as Luc Sartet
- Brice Fournier as Marconi
- Jacques Colliard as Francis Meyer
Remakes
This film has inspired numerous remakes worldwide, underscoring its broad commercial appeal. In 2014, South Korea produced The Target, directed by Chang (Yoon Hong-seung) and starring Ryu Seung-ryong alongside Lee Jin-wook, with production by Barunson and Yong Film.
In 2019, Bangladesh released a Bengali-language version titled Password, featuring superstar Shakib Khan, who also served as producer through his SK Films company.
The United States saw its own adaptation in 2018 with Point Blank, set in Cincinnati and starring Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie. This version was directed by Joe Lynch and produced by Netflix.
That same year, India released a Tamil-language remake entitled Kadaram Kondan, directed by Rajesh M. Selva and produced under the Raaj Kamal Films International banner, further highlighting the story’s international market success.