Netflix’s 'AKA' Review: Alban Lenoir is an old dog with no new tricks in predictable French action film
PARIS, FRANCE: When you think of French cinema, the ‘New Wave’ certainly comes to mind. But the boiler plate, edge-of-your-seat type action film? The French are not highly regarded in their skills for producing those or not as much as Hollywood is known for them. There have been a few French films in the past that have upended this reputation but in most cases, French action films are quite predictable with not many thrills for the ride. Such is the case with the French film currently streaming on Netflix called ‘AKA.’
It stars Alban Lenoir and surprisingly, France’s football legend Eric Cantona in a negative role. The rest of the cast feels dated and adds no gravitas to the entire film. It’s only Lenoir’s character, Adam Franco, who carries the film on his shoulders. The film starts on a promising note with Adam saving a woman from a terrorist organization after willingly surrendering to the bad guys. After reaching the den and spotting the woman, Adam sets his plan in motion and kills all the bad folks, showcasing that he possesses the skills of an assassin. Only in his case, he’s a trained special ops officer who is sent into missions where the possibility of a return is almost negligible. This opening sequence sets the tone of the film. We are now thrust into Adam’s world and follow him on a mission, should he choose to accept?
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What Is ‘AKA’ about?
‘AKA’ is simply the story of a special ops agent who is asked by his superior to infiltrate a crime syndicate to kill a prospective terrorist who is said to be behind the attacks on a hotel in Paris. The superior fears that another attack might be incoming and before that happens, the terrorist needs to be neutralized. Adam takes up this assignment, builds up an identity, and lands in the world of the crime syndicate headed by Eric Cantona’s character.
Adam focuses on finding the terrorist but instead develops a friendship with the boss’s son, Benjamin, and becomes his unofficial guardian. Meanwhile, as Adam moves up the ladder of responsibilities in the crime syndicate, suspicions continue to rise against him as well. No one is entirely sure of who Adam is. Only a story that he shot a pedophile when he was 15 and was fired at by the police, suffering five gunshot wounds. But when Benjamin, the boss’s son is kidnapped, Adam rescues him alone while keeping his duties to nab the terrorist aside. Adam loses a colleague when he’s away from keeping track of the terrorist movement. In the meantime, Adam’s true identity that he’s an undercover agent is revealed to the crime syndicate, who converge to kill Adam. The goons are ambushed by another colleague of Adam’s, who then rushes to kill the terrorist he’s after. However, Adam soon learns that the terrorist is innocent and is being trapped by a minister in France with ulterior motives.
Alban Lenoir's Adam Franco is a cliche
Lenoir has played Adam Franco as a straight-faced, expressionless sigma male — a routine that leading men like Tom Cruise, Liam Neeson, and Matt Damon have down pat and deliver with unerring accuracy. Lenoir is convincing as a sole warrior, a man with no name and nothing to fear but unfortunately falls prey to the cliches and tropes that defines the world of the character he’s playing.
Lenoir is extremely efficient in his action sequences, but the story falls flat and Lenoir can't do much to save it. Lenoir’s Adam Franco is an opportunity lost by a Frenchman to make an iconic character out of nothing. He could have touched the realms of Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt, but the story doesn’t give him room to flourish.
Is ‘AKA’ worth watching?
If you’re looking for a quick popcorn fix and a medium thrill on a weekday night after work, ‘AKA’ will be a good companion. If a cinephile, tread lightly because the film will not have much to offer.
‘AKA’ is available to stream on Netflix