Medellin

"First of all, I'm quite fascinated by this country and this culture and, to be honest, I've also seen a lot of films and documentaries around Escobar and Narcos - and while I have no admiration for them, I do feel a certain fascination for their story. So I asked myself what would happen if a young man with an older brother were kidnapped by the Narcos: would the older brother remain passive, or would he decide to go and get him? If so, what would happen? It's unfortunately quite common for kidnappings to take place in Colombia, but it's less common for the person being kidnapped to be the little brother of a determined guy! That was the starting point for what could be, in my opinion, a pretty strong adventure comedy." - Franck Gastambide

We've been eagerly awaiting Franck Gastambide's fourth film, which turns out to be his first to be released directly on Prime Video after Les Kaïra (2012), Pattaya (2016), Taxi 5 (2018). Although the latter wasn't as successful in cinemas as it deserved, it showed that behind the animal trainer was a skilled and passionate director, screenwriter and actor who, by dint of hard work, succeeded in shattering his image and winning over a wide audience. 

His early work reveals a young director who was still searching for himself, and whose love of American cinema (particularly Sylvester Stallone's action films) was clearly visible. His new film, Medellin, marks a new stage as director and co-writer for Franck Gastambide, who proves himself to be an excellent storyteller and quite simply delivers his best film to date, as he succeeds in capturing the audience's attention by playing on different genres such as comedy and action. The cast includes his faithful collaborator, actor Anouar Toubali, who has appeared in all his films. The trio Franck Gastambide plays with him and Ramzy Bedia works perfectly. The cast is not to be outdone, with former heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson and comedian Brahim Bouhlel (Validé series) in a brief supporting role.

Pablito (Brahim Bouhlel) is a young Youtuber, fascinated by Pablo Escobar, who is keen to make a name for himself and gain an audience. When he decides to go to Medellin, things don't go as planned, and a video posted on his social networks seems to show that, in trying to follow in the footsteps of the drug baron he idolizes, he has found himself taken hostage by a real drug trafficker.  His older brother Reda (Ramzy Bedia), who runs a boxing club, decides to set off with his best friend Stan (Franck Gastambide) and one of his students, Chafix (Anouar Toubali), to rescue him. As you'd expect, things don't go according to plan, and the three friends find themselves up against the most dangerous drug gang in the world.

The script, co-written by Franck Gastambide and Charles Van Thieghem, is a mix of comedy in the vein of Gastambide's earlier films, but incorporates a formula established by Europacorp productions following the Taxi 5 experience, with the presence of an American star, numerous action scenes and chases, as well as nods to films such as Jaws (1975), the Very Bad Trip saga, Fast and Furious and even Rambo: Last Blood (2019) for one of the film's most memorable scenes. These perfectly timed borrowings are a dedication to the American films that have nourished our subconscious and marked our memories as cinephiles.  Medellin certainly holds enough pleasant surprises for us to encourage you to watch it, and we're already looking forward to Franck Gastambide's new film, which we hope will have a theatrical release.  

Medellin
Directed by Franck Gastambide
Produced by Éric et Nicolas Altmayer      
Written by Franck Gastambide, Charles Van Thieghem
Starring Franck Gastambide Ramzy Bedia, Anouar Toubali, Brahim Bouhlel, Essined Aponte, Raymond Cruz, Mike Tyson, Ariel Sierra, Ragnar Le Breton, Ciryl Gane, Aurélie Casse 
Music by Julien Grunberg and Paul-Marie Barbier
Cinematography : Antoine Marteau
Edited by Baxter
Production companies : Mandarin & Compagnie, Amazon
Distributed by Amazon Prime Video (France)
Release date : June 2 2023 (France)
Running time : 104 minutes

Viewed on June 02 2023 on Prime video

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