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The doctrine of "mutually assured destruction", which became popular during the end of World War II and the subsequent Cold War, establishes that if two opposing countries were to engage in full-scale nuclear attacks, the only result would be the complete annihilation of both. It serves as a chilling deterrent against nuclear weapons, not necessarily because you don't want to use them, but only because you don't want them to be used *on you*. That is what the characters in this French action thriller remind themselves of before embarking on a dangerous mission.
The Wolf's Call follows a group of sailors aboard two separate submarines: the Formidable, a nuclear submarine led by Captain Grandchamp (Reda Kateb), and the Titan, led by Captain D'Orsi (Omar Sy), which will escort the Formidable to the sea, where both sides will have to face extremely challenging decisions. But the focus of the story is on Chanteraide (François Civil), a sonar expert who has "golden ears" and specializes in underwater acoustics. His hearing is so acute that he can identify boats, submarines, sea animals, based only on their sounds, which puts the safety of his fellow sailors heavily on his shoulders.
I knew little to nothing about this film, but based on the favorable reception it has on a few film sites, I decided to check it out. Indeed, the film kickstarts with an extremely tense encounter during the first act, where the Titan has to stealthily extract a special forces team from enemy territory. This whole sequence ends up being intense and nerve-wracking. Unfortunately, the middle act drags a bit as the sailors expect for their next mission, which happens to be an apparent nuclear attack from Russia, which forces our heroes to decide whether to fight back or not.
Overall, this film does a lot of good things right. The attention to detail as far as submarine operations and procedures go, seems to be on point, the tension during the attack scenes is effectively executed, and the performances from most of the cast are solid. My main issue is with Chanteraide, who is pushed as the main character. But with a bland performance from Civil and pretty much no character development for a character that frequently behaves more like an annoying and irresponsible whiner instead of a trained soldier, there's not much to hold on to.
On the other hand, when the focus is on Grandchamp, D'Orsi, or the Admiral in Command (Mathieu Kassovitz), the film manages to stay afloat. The Wolf's Call might not be a great film, but still manages to hold your attention with taut and tight direction, some cool action sequences, and solid supporting characters. If you're into this kind of film, don't let my quibbles deter you from giving it a shot.
Grade:
THE WOLF'S CALL
(2019, Baudry)
A film primarily set in a submarine
(2019, Baudry)
A film primarily set in a submarine
"3,000 years of civilization did not bring peace; only deterrence."
The doctrine of "mutually assured destruction", which became popular during the end of World War II and the subsequent Cold War, establishes that if two opposing countries were to engage in full-scale nuclear attacks, the only result would be the complete annihilation of both. It serves as a chilling deterrent against nuclear weapons, not necessarily because you don't want to use them, but only because you don't want them to be used *on you*. That is what the characters in this French action thriller remind themselves of before embarking on a dangerous mission.
The Wolf's Call follows a group of sailors aboard two separate submarines: the Formidable, a nuclear submarine led by Captain Grandchamp (Reda Kateb), and the Titan, led by Captain D'Orsi (Omar Sy), which will escort the Formidable to the sea, where both sides will have to face extremely challenging decisions. But the focus of the story is on Chanteraide (François Civil), a sonar expert who has "golden ears" and specializes in underwater acoustics. His hearing is so acute that he can identify boats, submarines, sea animals, based only on their sounds, which puts the safety of his fellow sailors heavily on his shoulders.
I knew little to nothing about this film, but based on the favorable reception it has on a few film sites, I decided to check it out. Indeed, the film kickstarts with an extremely tense encounter during the first act, where the Titan has to stealthily extract a special forces team from enemy territory. This whole sequence ends up being intense and nerve-wracking. Unfortunately, the middle act drags a bit as the sailors expect for their next mission, which happens to be an apparent nuclear attack from Russia, which forces our heroes to decide whether to fight back or not.
Overall, this film does a lot of good things right. The attention to detail as far as submarine operations and procedures go, seems to be on point, the tension during the attack scenes is effectively executed, and the performances from most of the cast are solid. My main issue is with Chanteraide, who is pushed as the main character. But with a bland performance from Civil and pretty much no character development for a character that frequently behaves more like an annoying and irresponsible whiner instead of a trained soldier, there's not much to hold on to.
On the other hand, when the focus is on Grandchamp, D'Orsi, or the Admiral in Command (Mathieu Kassovitz), the film manages to stay afloat. The Wolf's Call might not be a great film, but still manages to hold your attention with taut and tight direction, some cool action sequences, and solid supporting characters. If you're into this kind of film, don't let my quibbles deter you from giving it a shot.
Grade: