‘Ad Vitam’ Review: High Stakes and Paragliding

When a former member of an elite tactical unit swoops in on the enemy in this Netflix film, the effect is more ridiculous than climactic — our hero’s on a dorky paraglider, and the move lands as inadvertent comedy rather than pulse-pounding thriller. “Ad Vitam” was already on the ropes, and that scene is the coup de grâce.

“Lost Bullet,” “Sentinelle,” “Earth and Blood”: France has become a reliable source of lean and quick-footed action fare for Netflix, powered by directors (like Julien Leclercq, Guillaume Pierret, Romain Gavras) and actors (Alban Lenoir, Franck Gastambide) who are as effective as they are relatively low profile, even in their home country.

So it was intriguing to see the busy star Guillaume Canet — an actor, writer and director whose own “Tell No One,” from 2008, may well be the best Harlan Coben adaptation ever made — sign up for one of those bangers.

Yes, that is Canet playing the paragliding avenger, Franck, who’s trying to free his abducted pregnant wife, Léo (Stéphane Caillard), from a blackmailing thug. At stake is not just Léo’s fate but the French government’s.

“Ad Vitam,” directed by Rodolphe Lauga, is torn between allegiances. The film tries to emulate its peers’ lean, gritty formula but can’t resist sneaking in glamour locations like the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and Versailles. The minimal plot purports to endorse spartan storytelling, but after a promising start the movie detours into an overlong flashback. This may be to give Franck emotional weight, but it only creates belly fat.

Ad Vitam
Not rated. In French, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes. Watch on Netflix.