Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko plays a troubled French soldier in co-writer & director Julien Leclercq's austere revenge thriller "Sentinelle" who launches on a vendetta against the dastard who raped her younger sister and left her for dead. Pared down to 81 gritty minutes, this spartan saga efficiently dispenses with the preliminaries in short order before our heroine improvises 'an eye for an eye' Old Testament retribution. Moreover, our heroine isn't some hysterical half-wit. She survived an arduous tour of duty in war-torn Syria with the French 92nd Infantry Regiment where she served as their interpreter. She convinced her commanding officer not to shoot the wife of a suspected terrorist in the back of the head. Initially, the wife had refused to divulge her spouse's whereabouts over fear for her son's life. Klara promises no harm will befall her son. The soldiers act to protect the couple's young son. Surprise of surprises, the father gives himself up, but his son blows himself to smithereens at his father's bidding! Klara witnessed this ghastly event when a fellow soldier found explosive charges strapped to the juvenile Syrian's chest. This harrowing moment haunts Klara like shrapnel in her soul.
The French Army transfers Klara back to France and reassigns her to serve in Opération Sentinelle. Actually, France commenced this real-life, domestic military campaign after repeated outbreaks of terrorism rocked the country in 2015. Well-armed, clad-in-camo, combat troops patrolled French streets and helped stray tourists find their motels. Klara suffers from migraines as a result of that traumatic moment. Warning her about the perils of addiction, Klara's army doctor prescribes a cocktail of opioids, beta-blockers, and sedatives, so she can manage her PTSD. Back home again, Klara complains about her lukewarm military career. Graduating at the top of her class, she speaks five languages fluently. She complains her superiors have passed over her and promoted others.
Klara and her fellow soldiers continue to prowl the streets and beaches for potential terrorists. Every time she spots a backpack abandoned in a public place; Klara relives the memory of the youth obliterating himself. Part of Klara is happy to return home to be with her younger sister Tania (Marilyn Lima) and her widowed mother Maria (Antonia Malineva of "Marie-Line"). Tania persuades Klara to accompany her to the Club Millennium for a night of dancing and drinking. While Klara cavorts on the dance floor with another woman, Tania joins a group of rowdy Russian guys. Clearly, Klara prefers women to men, but Leclercq and co-writer Matthieu Serveau never explore this revelation. Later, the following day, Klara walks out on her one-night stand and then is shocked to find Tania in a coma at the local hospital. Looking at her sister's bruised and battered face, Klara decides to investigate. She learns the guy Tania left the club with wasn't the guilty party. Instead, his evil, amoral father is the culprit, but he has diplomatic immunity, so the police cannot touch him until Tania recovers. Naturally, Klara ignores these niceties as well as his diplomatic status and his goon squad of bodyguards.
Director Julien Leclercq stages two slam-bang, knockdown, drag-out brawls with our heroine outnumbered in each fight. Eventually, Klara snaps and steals a pistol and two 5.56mm Fama assault rifles from the army barracks. Initially, she screws up when she tries to kill the slippery Russian, and his bodyguard nearly drowns her in a tub. You'll love how she thwarts the bodyguard! Nothing if not resilient, Klara never quits and pursues her quarry. "Sentinelle" is unlike most thrillers because our heroine doesn't bounce off walls as if they were trampolines. Instead, like her adversaries, she suffers the ill after-effects of combat but musters enough spirit to keep kicking. Sadly, Leclercq and Matthieu Serveau leave questions unanswered about Klara which would have been illuminating. Altogether, "Sentinelle" ranks as an above-average thriller about an indomitable dame who doesn't shirk her filial obligations. You'll need a Netflix subscription to stream this unforgiving manhunt.
The French Army transfers Klara back to France and reassigns her to serve in Opération Sentinelle. Actually, France commenced this real-life, domestic military campaign after repeated outbreaks of terrorism rocked the country in 2015. Well-armed, clad-in-camo, combat troops patrolled French streets and helped stray tourists find their motels. Klara suffers from migraines as a result of that traumatic moment. Warning her about the perils of addiction, Klara's army doctor prescribes a cocktail of opioids, beta-blockers, and sedatives, so she can manage her PTSD. Back home again, Klara complains about her lukewarm military career. Graduating at the top of her class, she speaks five languages fluently. She complains her superiors have passed over her and promoted others.
Klara and her fellow soldiers continue to prowl the streets and beaches for potential terrorists. Every time she spots a backpack abandoned in a public place; Klara relives the memory of the youth obliterating himself. Part of Klara is happy to return home to be with her younger sister Tania (Marilyn Lima) and her widowed mother Maria (Antonia Malineva of "Marie-Line"). Tania persuades Klara to accompany her to the Club Millennium for a night of dancing and drinking. While Klara cavorts on the dance floor with another woman, Tania joins a group of rowdy Russian guys. Clearly, Klara prefers women to men, but Leclercq and co-writer Matthieu Serveau never explore this revelation. Later, the following day, Klara walks out on her one-night stand and then is shocked to find Tania in a coma at the local hospital. Looking at her sister's bruised and battered face, Klara decides to investigate. She learns the guy Tania left the club with wasn't the guilty party. Instead, his evil, amoral father is the culprit, but he has diplomatic immunity, so the police cannot touch him until Tania recovers. Naturally, Klara ignores these niceties as well as his diplomatic status and his goon squad of bodyguards.
Director Julien Leclercq stages two slam-bang, knockdown, drag-out brawls with our heroine outnumbered in each fight. Eventually, Klara snaps and steals a pistol and two 5.56mm Fama assault rifles from the army barracks. Initially, she screws up when she tries to kill the slippery Russian, and his bodyguard nearly drowns her in a tub. You'll love how she thwarts the bodyguard! Nothing if not resilient, Klara never quits and pursues her quarry. "Sentinelle" is unlike most thrillers because our heroine doesn't bounce off walls as if they were trampolines. Instead, like her adversaries, she suffers the ill after-effects of combat but musters enough spirit to keep kicking. Sadly, Leclercq and Matthieu Serveau leave questions unanswered about Klara which would have been illuminating. Altogether, "Sentinelle" ranks as an above-average thriller about an indomitable dame who doesn't shirk her filial obligations. You'll need a Netflix subscription to stream this unforgiving manhunt.