(2002)
4
Josh Ralske
Lucas Belvaux's On the Run is a terse little French thriller, fitting well within the tradition established by such icons as Jean-Pierre Melville, but here with a political twist. The director goes about his business with the same brutally efficient cool as Bruno, the anti-hero he plays, a deluded former student radical who escapes prison seemingly unaware that the world has changed, desperate to believe that he's still fighting the good fight as he seeks revenge on those he blames for his incarceration, and thus the failure of his revolution. On the Run is a solidly engrossing policier on its own, but it functions even better as a part of the filmmaker's trilogy, along with the romantic comedy An Amazing Couple and the melodrama After Life. In On the Run, Belvaux economically shows us the fascinating, gritty details of Bruno's underground existence, from creating disguises and phony identification to practicing assembling his pistol with his eyes closed. This last is a telling bit, as Belvaux shows himself inadvertently putting the thing together with one tiny critical piece missing. This is an apt metaphor for the film itself, as the critical missing piece is contained within the other two films, which fill in edifying (though not strictly necessary) details about the story we're watching. But, even more so than the other two accomplished, enjoyable pieces, On the Run stands on its own, and features a darkly brilliant punch line that ends the first film on a perfect note, while clearing a path for the next two.
Cavale on AllMovie
Cavale (2002)
