Bastille Day film review ★★★★★

Director James Watkins describes Bastille Day as a Friday night movie, which is precisely what it is: one and a half hours of adrenaline-fuelled, crowd-pleasing action. Idris Elba stars as Sean Briar, a rule-flouting FBI agent (pay attention Bond casting directors), investigating a bomb attack in the centre of Paris. His first suspect is Michael Mason, a wily American pickpocket played by Richard Madden, but we know from the off that this isn’t his man.

After a high-stakes chase across the picturesque garrets of the French capital, Briar soon realises that the real perpetrator is still at large. Conscripting Mason, he works his way to the heart of a far-reaching conspiracy, and one which feeds off the terrifying power of social media. It’s a partially successful ploy to root the film in the 21st Century, but it still plays out like a ‘90s thriller.

As an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, the film works well; its chase scenes and shoot-outs pack the requisite punch. But it suffers from a lack of ambition. Blockbuster thrillers can be sharper than this: just look at Scorcese’s The Departed. Still, for fans of the genre, there are surely far worse ways to spend a Friday night.