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The Red Siren review
:. Director: Olivier Megaton
:. Starring: Jean-Marc Barr, Asia Argento
:. Running Time: 1:58
:. Year: 2002
:. Country: France
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Is there life after The Professional? That's what French director Olivier Megaton seems to think as The Red Siren recycles all the tricks of the European action cinema trade with, at times, a few moments of inspiration.
Jean-Marc Barr is Hugo, a disillusioned mercenary who is tormented by his conscience. The man who never forgave himself for having accidentally killed a young boy, one day finds a girl (Alexandra Negrao) in his car purchased by some thugs and decides to protect her, as here he sees a chance of redemption. A bloody road trip through Europe follows.
It is difficult not to take The Red Siren with a second degree, as so many references are obvious. If the plot of film is similar to that of Luc Besson's The Professional, casting Jean-Marc Barr in the lead role is not innocent. A second degree of separation indeed ties him to The Professional through The Big Blue and Jean Réno. The scenes shot on Mediterranean beaches confirm this connection while the shooting in the hotel directly refers to the climax of The Professional. But the obligatory references—or homages—do not stop there, as the film just as easily borrows from Savior and Enemy at the Gate as well as from John Woo's cinema and The Crow.
By trying too hard to claim and assimilate the influence of his idols, Megaton offers an impersonal and not very exciting film where almost every scene gives an impression of déjà-vu. Thus, the difficulty to take the director seriously, even more so with Frances Barber's character, Eva, who is as cartoonish as a Disney character with her sort of Mafioso Cruella deVille. The other characters are poorly drawn, even useless like Asia Argento's, an actress now a regular as bold hero's love interest (see XXX).
However, the filmmaker isn't totally stripped of potential. His vision is very stylized and the action scenes are intense. Of particular note is the shooting in the hotel. There where some would have given in to a spectacular approach, Megaton opts for an apocalyptic representation where time seems to be suspended in the hell of violence. The audience, like the girl, finds itself trapped in the middle of the rage. The film also possesses a certain Gothic beauty, the fruit of the association between arty cinematography and incantatory music.
A—necessary—evacuation of references should allow the director to find his "cinematic identity" and confirm the existence of foreseeable potential.
Fred Thom
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