"Ad Vitam" follows in the footsteps of many, many other French action crime thrillers but somehow doesn't quite pull it off. The story that occurs briefly in the opening scenes of the film and the final third are what you might expect. Frenetic action, intrigue and spectacle abound. Regrettably, these elements are sandwiched between what amounts to an excess of "cop bonhomie" that's overstated and over long,…

Ad Vitam is a well-made French action thriller that succeeds in its technical execution but stumbles with its core narrative. Guillaume Canet delivers a raw, believable performance as Franck, and the opening home invasion sequence is genuinely tense and frightening. The film does a great job showing the grit of elite GIGN training, and the practical stunts feel much more grounded than your typical Hollywood…