Nitro (2007) Reviews

• Interesting, no more (sans plus)

  muaddib-202007-12-27

  Why do I award five stars to this film? Because of what it could have been, yet wasn't. The interesting bits in my opinion, and only somebody who understands Québec French (I do) can say that, are the (I think) peeks at Montréal subcultures the director takes: ordinary building workers, young Québec working class speed freaks, and gangsters (of a type, including what is supposed to be yet another stereotype of Italian mafioso, neither very real, nor very credible). The plot is of course irrelevant, but so it is for zillions of other directors, that hardly matters. The film fails because it is a patchworks of unrelated tiles. There just is no line joining all these fragments, and the lead actor, not bad in itself, does not manage to be the joining factor. This movie therefore splinters into many shards, rather imaginative shards, but broken nonetheless. Director worth watching, as he might learn, methinks.

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• What the??? (May contain spoilers in some people's views)

  marion-michel2007-07-13

  Let me start by saying that I like a good action movie as long as it's well balanced and that the story can at least stand on it's own. Well not for this one folks. It lacks any CREDIBLE elements and if a plot could be in color this one would be gray at best...gray in an off white setting how's that. To me it's like a collage of bits and pieces of mediocre stories that were on shelves everywhere for the past few years. I have nothing against movies made in Quebec, last year I saw the movie Bon Cop, Bad cop and I really liked it. It was funny, the characters related well to each other, some parts were a bit sappy but still it was a fun movie to watch. This movie lost me in the beginning because it made NO SENSE AT ALL...none. Even the few punch lines were off. I like a movie that keeps me interested, keeps me on my toes a bit you know, but it was so predictable, dry and unoriginal...but that's just me, I have a fault, I like to be entertained.

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• A Quebec action film

  pavillon102007-06-29

  Action film is a genre rarely seen in Quebec film. Last year was for Bon Cop Bad Cop and now Nitro. A young man want's to safe the life of his wife. He has to get lost of money and a heart for a transplant. Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge is excellent and does most of his stunts. Lucie Laurier plays a woman with a attitude, don't step on her toes. Not only is she beautiful but she gives a great performance. There is lots of action in this low budget film, compare to the Die Hard series, but you'll be impress to see what they do in this picture. The story also as moments of drama and emotion. A very enjoyable film. Go see it. I think American producers would like to buy the script and do a remake. If they do , don't forget Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, he makes this movie believable.

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• Great film

  BirdmanT72009-01-28

  I read some of the reviews here and I can't believe people bash this film for all the wrong reasons?. I mean lets say if Tarantino made the same film in Hollywood or some other action director but in the US and market the hell out of it the you people would praising it instead of taking punches at it. This movie had more depth than most Hollywood films wish they could ever have, I wouldn't be surprised it Hollywood remake their own version of it in the next few years?. Max is anything but perfect and the film does not make him to be this nice great guy, and that is what people seem to miss the point here, this is NOT some hero. This was guy who had no care in the world for anything other racing and having a good time until he meets "Alice" in the hospital and slowly grows up. You can see from the scenes of his past and his memory from the time they leave the hospital he realizes that being with ALice means he has to change who he is; he can't race or steal cars anymore because being with Alice is something he is never had. The scenes from his past with her and who is become in tghe present are a clear indication of it. The director was very subtle in the use of the flash backs but very effective because it is like how we reflect on some past events at times in our own lives. The film takes many turns and it is not define itself to be a action film because right in the midst of the action there is some very intimate scenes like when he meets up with his old girl friend Moragane. I don't know how or why some people compare this film to "Fast and the Furious" but this is far above "FF" can ever live up to as far storyline goes. This actor "Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge" whom I really have never seen or familiar with his work really did a great job both the action and the very emotional scenes that made Max a human with errors, like all of us. So yes he is crazy and stupid than most of us and the film makes that clear from the very start of this film when he is racing. At one point he tells Moragane that all I care about is about saving my girl friend and I don't care what I have to go through to save her. Max did screw up by killing the cop and again this is given to you about him as a desperate man to do anything to save his girl friend. It does not make you have any sympathy but to show Max's idea of love. The essence of this whole film is really about love, he loves Alice, Morgane loves Max; she didn't give up on him when he kept running from her. There is a great scene when he is singing to the little boy on the phone the song his mother use to sing for him, that was so unusual to see in a film packed with such intensity and these are scenes that made this film so different and so interesting. The ending was not as predictable as most of you say it was, I thought he will deliver the heart but to my surprise his Van crashed. How could say you see that Moragane's death was predictable and her life is what saves Alice's life?.. You can see that Max is still going to jail when the cops are standing by the hospital room, so was this truly a happy predictable ending? I don't know what is the standard these days that you people compare films to?...but each film should be judged based on its own merits and not compared or expected to live up to Hollywood films.

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• very very hard stuff

  pethel012009-05-03

  Well sometimes people miss understand a piece of art completely. For commercial reasons this is if a product is labeled not exactly what it is really containing. Call it action and it gives you a market for example. Other example, "The Wrestler". For some folks, younger folks maybe it is an action movie defined by the fighting components. For me as an elder man this components are part of the story but not the story itself. Just decoration and necessary to tell the real story. I watched "Nitro" by coincidence. Some of this funny Canadian variations of US mentality. I thought. Let's waste some time and watch it. Tarantino is named here. I as European will never understand this director and his art as an US American understand it. For me his kind of art is not really necessary. For me "Nitro" has nothing to do with this. Like "The Pet" has nothing to do with sex, bondage, S/M or anything porn. The film smashed my easy watching attempt completely. It is a very very hard story told in a surprising way. But i could stand it, was not forced to switch off. Cause also for me it's a story about love. And it's limitations. The limitations of our human existence. Whom do we really love, other persons or ourself? What is our struggle for, to help beloved persons or to cover our needs and pain? It's a film about the absolutely tragedy of some people linked by love or what they believe love is. Without any terms of religion. A story of loosen souls shifting around in a world they can't stand. A story of how to accept what you can not accept, death. And a very sad story, stays there anything left of their love? A movie that ask questions and leave them open. A very unusually movie.

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