Bastille Day (4½ Stars)

This is a fast-paced action film made in 2016, starring Idris Elba looking more like James Bond than James Bond. It's not boring for a moment, from beginning to end. That makes it all the more puzzling that the critics have rated it so poorly.

The film is about Michael Mason, an American pick-pocket in Paris who's wrongly accused of a major crime. He steals a carrier bag that contains a mobile phone and a stuffed toy. He pockets the phone and throws the bag away in a street corner. A minute later there's an explosion that kills four people. There was a bomb hidden in the stuffed toy. CCTV footage identifies him as the man who placed the bomb.

The CIA agent Sean Briar (Idris Elba) is the first to find Michael. After initial doubts, he believes Michael's story, even though his superior officers are pressuring him to hand Michael over to the French police. There's something bigger going on. The bomb was just a warning for a bigger attack planned for Bastille Day. Sean relies on Michael's help in foiling the plot.

The film was a box office success. Cinema audiences know a good film when they see one.

Success Rate:  + 1.7

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