I have been stuck without luggage for two days now, and I patiently await the arrival of my suitcase (t-12 minutes and counting). But no matter how rugged I look or musty I smell, there is no comparison to Bruno Hamel, who sports the same outfit for 7 excruciating days, and boy does he wear it with pride.
7 Days, a film reminiscent of a more torturous take on last year's breakout hit, Taken, details the length to which a father will go when the life of his daughter is on the line. The one difference here is that Hamel's daughter has already been killed, raped, and left in a wooded area where she played with her friends.
The police have the guy who did it. He is awaiting trial and is expected to receive between 15 and 25 years in prison. But that isn't enough for Hamel, who decides to seek personal justice"¦ in one of the most brutal ways imaginable as he kidnaps the lead suspect and spends 7 days making him wish he was dead.
Remy Girard does a brilliant job bringing the guilt-laden Hamel to life, giving him wit, intelligence, and a personal agenda. His form consumes the screen for nearly the entire feature commanding your attention early on, refusing to lose your interest until his story has been shown in full.
The film moves at a semi-slow pace, but with reason. You feel as if you are in the room with the two men, painfully witnessing seven grueling days of pure hell. The plot line is intelligent (even if it does lack creativity and strong character development), and the two central characters seem to be all that director Daniel Grou cared to show, but it works.
The ending comes suddenly, even though the title gives you a rough idea of a timeline, but it fits the mood and flow of the film. There is no lesson to be learned (at least nothing that hasn't already been taught over a million times in motion picture cinema), but that doesn't make it a bad movie.
7 Days is my style of film, fitting into the Park City at Midnight category perfectly. It isn't for everyone, especially those who don't like brutal revenge tales. But for those that do, you are in for one wild ride full of pedophilic crimes and beautifully crafted revenge.
