Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Action tale about corrupt cop has violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Restless
What's the Story?
Police Lt. Blin (Franck Gastambide) has a knack for getting into messes. When we meet him in RESTLESS, he's torn between obligations. A relative has just died and they're waiting for him at the funeral home. At the same moment, his panicked squad is being raided by the department's internal investigation unit. That's when his car hits a man who seemingly came out of nowhere. Blin doesn't bother to wonder how the man died and guiltily discards evidence of any connection between him, his car, and the corpse. Someone (Simon Abkarian) comes along and starts beating him up and threatening his family unless he delivers the corpse. This element unravels a story of deep police corruption and collaboration with drug dealers and killers, not to mention a cascade of injury and death.
Is It Any Good?
Restless begins at a fever pitch and has almost no place to go from there. This would've made a great comedy from a director with a lighter touch, as a pesky body keeps reappearing just when we think we're done with it. As it turns out, this is a remake of the 2014 Korean dark comedy A Hard Day, in which the same circumstances are played for grim laughs.
Instead, the tone here is reminiscent of dozens of other gritty crime stories, and, it turns out, straight drama is jarringly out of sync with the warring stupidity/ingenuity of the main character, whose failings would be far less problematic in a comedy. Though a detective, he doesn't see the most obvious clues in front of him, oversights that get him deeper into trouble. A bumpy plot raises questions for viewers who are paying attention, including when a dirty cop is stopped at a National Guard checkpoint. The terrified cop puts up a fight, is subdued by numerous guards, and is pepper-sprayed. Jump cut to all the uniforms apologizing to him and letting him go before they can discover what's in his trunk. Why do they stop him? No idea. Why do they let him go? No idea. Simon Abkarian is a standout as a tower of menace.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether filmmakers presenting over-the-top scenarios want us to believe their stories. Does the implausibility here ruin the viewing experience or enhance it? Why?
Police corruption is treated as ordinary. Does this movie make you believe that criminal activity in police forces is common?
The lead character sometimes seems extremely dumb and extremely clever and even resourceful at other times. How do you think the movie wants you to feel about him?
This is a remake of a Korean film that played the same events as comedy. Do you think some of the plot's less plausible developments would better lend themselves to comic treatment? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 25, 2022
- Cast : Franck Gastambide , Simon Abkarian , Michael Abiteboul , Tracy Gotoas
- Director : Regis Blondeau
- Inclusion Information : Middle Eastern/North African Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : March 2, 2022
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