22 bullets - a father's day movie

it took me only 22seconds (trust me, i was holding a timer then coz i'm decorating my laptop with sticker-tatoos) to say yes after being invited by dear friend- irene sy to at least see one movie in the french film festival at shangrila plaza. little did i know that those 22 seconds would be equivalent to 22 bullets.

yes, the film's english title was '22 bullets' but literally it should have been 'the immortal'. that got me more excited to see the movie. will it be about love and immortality or would it be about guns and gang wars??? hmmmm...

the plot : a retired mobster (charly mattei, played by jean reno) goes on a revenge-spree after being left for dead (almost) with 22 bullets in his body by his former childhood friends. luckily, one of the killers intentionally (as theorized by the police) didn't hit the right spot, leaving him only semi-paralyzed in the left and strong enough to think and act like his old bad-boy self. the director- richard berry knew how to keep the audience to the edge of their seats as if watching a suspense thriller but at the same time, wishing a kleenex was near to wipe a tear or two when feelings for innocent loved-ones and betrayed friendships are shown.

the camera rolls were excellent (no need for 3D). for one, you can see the age lines in the grandma's face as she kissed charly's litlle boy in the beginning of the film. the script (i trusted the subtitles) was almost poetic yet very human in most ways. the movie tackled sensitive issues in several sectors of the society yet it always lead me back to remembering friendships and promises made in its name.

but what i liked most is the part where charly did his best to go through layers of what seemed-like-a-barbed-wire to go save his son from being killed, it was the longest 'few minutes' of my day. as it goes, no matter how bad you were, or how changed you intend to be, when your son's life is on the line, you can't help but be a father, even if it means being 'bad' for that moment.

halfway in the film, i came to understand the title choice...as it is, charly survived the '22 bullets', so he was named 'the immortal' (L'immortel) by the press. the crime drama scored 2 and a half over 3 frozen yogurt servings-- meaning? i liked it!