Bruce Smeath I love French movies, they always have something about them that others don't. But not Mea Culpa. This is the first French movie I've ever seen that is as dumb as the dumbest Hollywood movie. Essentially, a kid witnesses a murder and then the rest of the movie is a bunch of set pieces. That's it. And not good set pieces either. Just set pieces that are an excuse for punching, kicking and shooting in the manner of a Michael Bay movie. No characters you cared a jot for, which is a sin for a French movie, and proof yet again that fast cuts do not an interesting movie make. A waste of everyone's time. Fortunately, after about 20 minutes I watched the rest on fast forward so not too much time in my case.

Leofwine_draca French director Fred Cavaye completes a hat-trick of exciting, exhausting thrillers with MEA CULPA, a film which pairs up the two heroes of his earlier films: namely Vincent Lindon from ANYTHING FOR HER and Giles Lellouche from POINT BLANK. These two larger-than-life characters are on the same side, battling a gang of murderous heroin smugglers in the south of France.Cavaye has clearly learnt plenty from his classic POINT BLANK as MEA CULPA is a film in the same mould. There's barely a slow or extraneous moment here, just constant thrills and excitement as the plot twists and turns along and frenetic action sequences regularly punctuate the narrative with machine-gun precision. The cinematography is top notch and could quite easily show more than a few Hollywood directors how to shoot action that feels exciting, realistic, and fresh.Lindon in particular gives an excellent performance with Lellouche happy to stand back and support him, and the supporting cast is well chosen too. There are moments of sentiment here, included in order for the characters and viewer to have something to care about, but the emphasis is on the action as it should be. Nightclubs, warehouses, and trains all provide perfect backdrops for the fast-paced and visceral thrills and what a thrilling movie MEA CULPA is.

kosmasp An accident can mess up your life completely. Especially if you're not in control ... Some might call it tough luck, others unfortunate circumstances, but whatever the case our main lead had a rough ride up until now and it doesn't seem to get better for him (or his family, whether they are close to him or not doesn't matter, because he does care for them).The acting is more than solid and the story is really nicely and expertly told. There might be things that you can tell happening and you might see twists even before they are revealed fully, but that doesn't take anything away from the movie. It just shows you've seen a lot of movies, which isn't a bad thing either. A lot french thrillers seem to be worth your while, definitely this one

GUENOT PHILIPPE I already know that Fred Cavayé is a great action film director, the best french one after Florent Emilio Siri.The reading of this feature topic scared me. I have still in mind the lousy script of his first film: POUR ELLE, predictable at the most, with a totally unbelievable tale. His second movie: A BOUT PORTANT was far better. Back to this one, OK, it is full of clichés, but the many action sequences are powerful, fast paced, thrilling, at first rate riveting for the audience. As usual with Cavayé. Vincent Lindon is not vrey often seen in this kind of action flick, but rather in dramas. I like that. He is pretty good.But there is a totally unbelievable scene - I'd better say some sequences - concerning the armored truck company - where Lindon's character works - that should have remained on the cutting room floor. How the hell a security guard - Lindon - can go to his company after hours, take some guns (automatic ones, armored truck companies in France never use automatic pistols) from the armored locked room, meet some of his colleagues in the locker room? AFTER HOURS !!! Just non sense?Fred Cavayé must have been drunk !!! The ending is very surprising, in the line of WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE....I am not joking...From an Olivier Marchal story.