I don’t watch action movies on Netflix if I don’t have to write about them. I know that sounds snobbish, but can you really blame my stance? Every year, the streaming platform unleashes a barrage of projects, most of which look like they’ve been shot in a parking lot covered with green screens, and it’s really tough to sift through them to find a gem. So, unless I’m getting paid for it, I don’t make the effort. In 2022, though, I made an exception when I saw the poster for Lost Bullet 2. I don’t know why, but the title, the actors, and the promise of some vehicular mayhem piqued my interest. Of course, I had to watch Lost Bullet before that. Hence, I reluctantly pressed play, fully expecting to be disappointed. However, by the time my viewing session ended, I realized that I had watched two of the greatest action films of all time, and with a third one on the cards, my excitement was through the roof. Now, the question is: has Lost Bullet 3 or Last Bullet managed to meet my expectations (that have been marinating for three very long years), or has it fallen short? Let’s find out.
Guillaume Pierret’s Lost Bullet 3 (its French title is Balle Perdue 3), which he has co-written with Caryl Ferey, opens with Areski working at a German timber factory while covertly transporting arms and ammunition for Commander Resz on the side. The operation goes sideways. Areski’s on-ground manager is ordered by Resz to kill Areski because he is a loose end that Resz’s department doesn’t want to back anymore. Areski somehow manages to avoid getting assassinated and begins a personal mission that involves reuniting with his wife, Stella, and son, Thomas, and going on the run with them. Meanwhile, Resz makes an arrangement with the Spanish government so that he can get his hands on Lino by giving up Alvaro. Soon after the exchange, Alvaro is killed by Yuri, but Lino is allowed to live a life of shame and misery on his own. Julia lets Lino live with him on a temporary basis and even gives him a job under Sarah’s vigilance. However, as soon as Lino learns that Areski is back in town, his zeal to avenge Charas is reignited. And he uses the tools at his disposal to make the ultimate killing machine on wheels in order to eliminate Areski and anyone who stands between him and his nemesis.
From the moment we saw Areski at the end of the second film in the trilogy, right after Lino killed Marco, it was pretty obvious what Lost Bullet 3 was going to be all about. But I was quite surprised to see that Pierret and Ferey still managed to make things unpredictable because of all the changing allegiances and power struggles. Initially, they do make it seem like the story will be pretty straightforward and Lino is going to kill Areski, avenge Charas, and drive off into the sunset. However, given how this fiasco around corruption in the police, which had started in the first film, has erupted into this massive international scandal, Lino isn’t the only one who is after Areski. He has to jump through some loopholes and crash through others to get to his goal. In addition to that, I have to applaud the writers for being steadfast in their criticism of law enforcement. They sort of subvert the troubling trope where cops go after “cop killers,” whilst unironically throwing around the phrase “we support our own,” by having a fugitive do the same. In doing so, they are showing that when money and politics are involved, the police will cannibalize their own, and in that scenario, a “criminal” will seem more trustworthy than a “cop.”
Alright, now that I am done talking about the serious stuff, I can get to the action, which, by the way, is seriously insane! The cold open with Areski features a brilliant bike chase and is immediately followed by a gnarly hand-to-hand fight sequence. Then after a bit of drama, there’s a car chase, which smoothly transitions into a painful-looking punch-up in a tram (every part of it is used so beautifully), and then we get yet another chase scene, which has a crash that actually made me scream out loud. And I don’t want to say anything about the 20-minute-long third act set piece because it’s too awesome to put into words. All I will say is, do you remember that deleted sequence of Ethan Hunt’s chopper almost crashing into a truck in Mission: Impossible—Fallout? Yeah, thanks to Pierret and his astoundingly talented stunt team, you will get to see what happens when a truck meets a chopper. I have to bring up the fact that I detected hardly any CGI or VFX throughout the film’s exquisitely paced runtime. A lot of the shots where the actors are inside a “go-fast” vehicle are obviously done in a studio. However, every exterior shot where vehicles are crashing into each other, hurtling through cafes, and drifting through parks—it’s all very, very real! It’s a damn shame that we are watching this on the small screen instead of the big screen equipped with the loudest sound system in the world (because that sound design and score are fantastic).
When we talk about “action stars,” for some odd reason, people point to Tom Cruise and ask why others aren’t doing it like him. While there’s no doubt that Cruise’s passion for doing death-defying stunts and ability to kill it during dramatic scenes are stellar, there are many actors who are doing their own stunts and knocking it out of the park during emotionally riveting moments. One of them is Alban Lenoir. The guy is a beast behind the wheel, and when he is taking on thugs and police officers, he is absolutely ruthless. When he has to speak from his heart to reveal what his character is feeling, he is equally impactful. The guy is in his 40s. Expand your knowledge of the action genre and hail him as an action star before his injuries catch up to him. I have to say the same about Stefi Celma, Nicolas Duvauchelle, and Quentin D’Hainaut, who are so amazing. Quentin is an expert in wushu. He has played Captain America in a fan film. And his turn as Yuri is nothing short of spectacular. Everyone needs to sit up and pay attention to his work as well. I also must give a big shout-out to the supporting cast and all the faceless and nameless stunt persons because, without their contribution, Lost Bullet 3’s enjoyment factor would’ve been really low.
I have no qualms about saying that Lost Bullet 3 (or Last Bullet or Balle Perdue 3) is the best action movie of the year yet. It is definitely up there with the greatest action movies of all time. And, on top of all that, I am so glad that Guillaume Pierret and all the talented artists who have worked with him have delivered an exceptional action trilogy. Nowadays, so many movies promise that they are going to begin a franchise; then the first installment ends up being a dud, and all the future installments fade away. Sometimes, the first entry in a potential franchise does show promise, but then the production house or the streaming platform brings down the axe because it didn’t meet the algorithm’s expectations. So, it’s nothing short of a miracle that Pierret got to tell this story about corrupt police officers and honest criminals over the course of three films, while surpassing all the benchmarks that have been set by franchises like Mission: Impossible, Fast and Furious, John Wick, and Mad Max. As an action fan, I am really glad that I witnessed the red-colored genesis, blue-themed middle chapter, the and yellow-hued capper to this splendid trilogy, and I can’t wait to see what the cast and crew of the Lost Bullet series will do next.
