Partisan (Ariel Kleiman, 2015) wr. Sarah Cyngler, Ariel Kleiman; Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Sapidah Kian; thriller drama
Kleiman and Sarah Cyngler co-wrote the script after reading about child assassins in Colombia. The film is an attempt to imagine how that kind of killer might be created by a man with a powerful personality. It fails as that, because Jeremy Chabriel is far too sweet-natured to seem credible as a boy hitman. He is the film's best asset, because the other part of the story, exploring his desire to rebel against his adopted father, has some power. He is capable of enough stillness and anger to sustain interest. If Kleiman and Cyngler had stripped everything back to focus on him as a character study, it might have worked, but you don't bring Vincent Cassel from France to play second fiddle to a kid. Cassel has a great face, but very little sincerity in this role. Paul Byrnes, SMH.
Garry Gillard | New: 30 May, 2015 | Now: 27 June, 2020