MTV, by inspiring directors and producers to insist on “cool” music video-like visuals at the expense of everything else, is often blamed for the lower quality of Hollywood films in past few decades. But its influence had even worse aftermath in other cinema industries, most notably France where many film makers wholeheartedly embraced “style over substance”, partly inspired by Luc Besson and his “Cinema du look” movement. One of the examples can be found in Sweat, 2002 action film directed by Louis-Pascal Couvelaire.
The plot is set in unnamed North African country and begins after the major airport heist resulting in large shipment of gold ending in the hands of Noh (played by Joaquim de Almeida), air traffic controller who was one of ther organisers of the whole scheme. The gold is put into huge truck driven by Harvey (played by Jean-Hugues Anglade) who is tasked to bring the loot from the desert to the coast where they are supposed to exchange it for cash. Harvey, accompanied by Victor (played by Cyril Touvenin) and Simon (played Sagamore Stévenin), is soon experiencing all kinds of problems on the long and perilous journey that involves dealing with armed attackers, minefields, but, more importantly, growing tensions and greed that would turn gang members against each other.
Authors of Sweat had a good idea of using the plot The Wages of Fear, one of the grand classics of French and world cinema, and giving it more action-oriented makeover with little nods to The Road Warrior and French adventure films of 1960s and 1970s. This makeover is partly achieved by cinematography of Michel Abramowicz which uses desert scenery to creates sense of heat and tension. The cast is good, especially Jean-Hugues Anglade as seemingly jovial trucker who, when things go really bad, starts to show different side, and same can be said of always dependable Joaquim de Almeida. Unfortunately, all those talents seem wasted due to overcooked direction by Louis-Pascal Couvelaire that emphasises “cool” images at the expense of clarity and common sense. As a result, the viewer has to pay more attention than usual to figure who the characters are and what is going on. Sweat gets a little better after around twenty minutes, but Couvelaire ruins again at the very end with the finale that might little bit too absurd for many viewers.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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