Search - Red Siren on DVD

French Thriller Starring Jean-Marc Barr & Asia Argento

Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 06/06/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

""The Red Siren" is a French thriller starring all European cast (speaking English, perhaps worldwide market in mind), including Jean-Marc Barr, Asia Argento, Frances Barber, and newcomer Alexandra Negrao. The story is based on a French bestseller Maurice G. Dantec's "La Sirene Rouge" and the film is directed by Oliver Megaton from France.THE STORY is about a girl Alice (Negrao) who seeks for a help in a police detective Anita (Argento). Alice claims: "My mother, she kills people," and she shows a video which shows a woman brutally tortured and killed. The complication is, the "snuff" video could be a fake, and Alice's mother Eva (intentionally campy Barber) belongs to a very influential family.Anyway, the compassionate detective starts to investigate while Alice accidentally finds another help in an ex-soldier named Hugo (Barr). Alice wants to escape from her dreadful mom, and see her kind-hearted dad living in Portugal (so she says), so Hugo takes her out, driving to the south, but Alice's mother and her men are following them, no matter what method they have to take, even guns or somthing.The film is beatifully shot, with some technically impressive moments. But M. Megaton, I think, often forgets to tell the story, and the film goes on too long (2 hrs.). The characters are not well-drawn, all too paper-thin, and the actions or the settings, though they are decent and potentailly interesting, sometimes remind us of another film like "The Professional" (alt. title "Leon") starring Natalie Portman and Jean Reno, the latter being with Barr in "The Big Blue."I have never read the original book, but it is clear that the original had fairy tale themes at its subliminal level. The film fails to make use of them fully, in spite of the name "Alice" (of course, in Wonderland) or Frances Barber's character (with a strange haircut), which clearly suggests the "evil mother" image in "Snow White." Interesting fact: the film's adaptation is done by, besides Megaton himself, US sci-fi novelist Norman Spinrad, and Alain Berliner ("Ma Vie en Rose"). What were they doing?I thought the acting is good, though Asia Aregento's role is not as substantial as it looks at first. Barr is great as always is, but the slow, very slow pace of the film is quite damaging. The film has its some great moments -- especially the gun-shooting scenes in the middle -- but you have to wait for it pretty long."

An average Euro-thriller that is a rental

Rich | Seattle, WA | 08/08/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good rental if you like an action thriller, but to buy the DVD would be a wasteful investment. As I watched the movie, I felt it was a hybrid between the "Bourne Identity and "The Transporter" with a couple of others thrown in. Obviously, the film borrowed way too many ideas from other movies to make it an interesting plot. Another problem to the movie was there wasn't a focus main character to develop nor was there an enthralling villain. So, who was the main character, Asia (hot tuff chick from Vin Diesel's XXX) or the little hostage girl and her assassin companionate?

Asia paid second fiddle to Triple X and she did again this time. Asia's character is a typical tuff police officer that does not like to follow normal procedures. They started to develop her character in the beginning, but as the movie developed, she had only one major action sequence and appeared in many minor scrimmages, which did her no justice. Her potential could have been much higher. For the other half of the movie, we were stringed along watching an Assassin helps a little girl, like in "The Professional" (mentioned by another reviewer.) The worst part is the main Villain who was not even believable, what was her crime again? (She supposedly killed a maid, but nobody knows for sure, because the director really did not care to develop the reasoning, except she was a bad woman). For a while I though the Assassin in this movie was the same mono-tune, harden exterior, but soft-hearted Assassin that played in "The Transporter".

Both the "Bourne Identity" and "Red Siren" are Euro-thriller, which intrigue me living in the US. Europe has a beautiful setting and to have a rampage shooting spree contradictory to such a homogeneous peaceful society is great. The scenes didn't really engaged much into the movie nor enhanced it. Spain as far as I could remembered could have been S. California in this movie. Not too much detail in the scene except for the warehouse.

With above average acting and a fast storyline make this an enjoyable to watch; even if the plot was not too convincing and dry. It's a rental.
"

Asia Argento is great!

Dancing Ganesha | Bangalore, India | 10/08/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I normally do not like films relating to crime and the sort, and I hardly watch films about children being kidnapped or abducted, as this sort of thing I find rather boring; however, "Red Siren" is something different.

First of all, Asia Argento is in this film, and I will usually view any film starring Argento. Her father is Dario Argento, the famous Italian horror maestro; her mother is Daria Nicolodi, star of many Italian horrors, including those by Bava and Argento.

Asia is very different from most American and even European actresses. She is not afraid to be overly intense and natural in her appearance, which means she values her performances over always looking pretty. I really admire that. She doesn't rely on heavy makeup and hair-dos, and she is real.

Argento really shines in this film, I think it brings out her inner grit and intensity; and I'm glad they didn't dub her in this film either. All in all, I'm giving this film four stars, only because of Argento's great performance and the allure of her persona, which is something that women like myself admire: women of strength and determination, and not afraid to stand out from the crowd. Go Asia! Hope to see you in more films in the upcoming future."

Asia Rulz!

Trauma | Gotham City | 07/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mark my words on this Lions Gate Films is going down in history as the only major studio with balls.
Granted they have had their flops but in the past 10 years they have picked up movies noone would touch!!
Go look them up make a list seek out some of their titles chances are you wont be disappointed!!
Hell start with Red Siren a drama/action vehicle starring Asia Argento as a detective who winds up with a kid handing her a dvd of her nanny being brutally tortured with a chainsaw!!!
Oh yeah the kid claims it is her mother and oh god save me from this crazy women!!!
Her mother by the way is evil incarnate times infinity you never really see her do anything physical(sort of)but her power is felt everytime she pops up on screen.
Red Siren has some of the best cinematography ive ever seen as well as people you actually feel for and root for.
The gentleman who plays the little girls eventual guardian angel later on in this film is superb he carries the part like a pro!!!!!
Nothing is too complex in this movie nor does it ever need to be it runs smooth warts and all.
The only fault is that it borrows from Leon errr The Proffesional but it does so in its own way Red Sirens story is just as engaging as The Proffesional yet really different in tone and style and worth a look by anyone craving something good to watch!!!!"