Lost Bullet (2020) & Lost Bullet 2 (2022)

The Netflix distributed action series Lost Bullet just released the third and final entry, Last Bullet. I reviewed the first two on letterboxd last year before I started this blog, so here are edited versions of those reviews:

Lost Bullet is a 2020 French action film from first-time feature director Guillaume Pierret. Protagonist Lino is played by Alban Lenoir, also co-writer of the film with Pierret and Kamel Guemra. He is a convict working as a mechanic for a high speed police task force, all set up in the first ten minutes. Then Charas, the cop who is his advocate gets murdered by corrupt fellow officers, and Lino is framed for the crime. Once Lino figures out the evidence was not destroyed, it becomes a race against time to find the car with the bullet lodged in it that will prove his innocence. From there he fights, runs, and drives like a man possessed.

Here is a great example of "it's not the story you tell, it's how you tell it." This is a movie with pretty simple plot and characters, corrupt cops, someone framed for murder, etc. Nothing particularly memorable or original, but the execution is fantastic. Fast, economical storytelling that doesn't over explain or waste any time, with action paced well throughout. That action is well done (including a memorable one vs. everyone brawl), with the driving sequences tipping into excellence. The whole climax had me giddy. Lino's killer car modifications and the escalating craziness of his situation had me bouncing in my seat. This is just crackerjack movie making on every level, and I am hyped to watch the sequel ASAP.

Picking up the plot six months after the first movie, Lost Bullet 2 offers more frantic fights and vehicular mayhem. Unfortunately, the script (once again co-written by director Guillaume Pierret and star Alban Lenoir), doesn't have the same efficiency and economy that I admired in the first movie. I can forgive that, though, because it amps up the action. That was a pun, by the way, because this time around mad mechanic Lino has rigged up his car spikes to put out a massive burst of electricity. That kind of symbolizes the difference in movies: the car spikes in the first movie were a simple but cool idea executed effectively. The electrified spikes are more complicated and push further from a grounded world into "action movie reality," and they do the sequel thing of needing to outdo or add to elements of the previous movie. Remember Lino fighting the whole police station in the first one? This time around he fights them PLUS another crew of cops AND he is doing it while fighting with/trying to kidnap another guy. Entertaining stuff, but not quite as novel as the first time around. The driving sequences top the first one, though. In the last act a series of fun extended car chases climax with Lino finally using the electro-spikes, and it RULES. Holy shit, these are some of the flippiest flipping cars I have ever seen. The last one was so impressive I rewound it like three times. 

The first movie left room for a sequel, but still felt like it had a satisfying ending. This one has what amounts to a cliffhanger ending, and I would be pissed if they hadn't already greenlit a third movie. So, it's not as complete or efficient as Lost Bullet 1, but it is still loads of fun. Bring on Lost Bullet 3, and in the meantime, I am off to watch AKA, since it's from the same star/co-writer (note from future me, you still need to watch AKA!)