Colt 45

A crackshot policeman is caught in the crossfire between feuding cops and robbers in this short but not-so-sharp policier from director Fabrice du Welz. A brooding Ymanol Perset stars as Vincent, a young gunsmith who prefers to keep his expertise confined to the armory and away from active duty. However, when a fellow officer (Joeystarr) abuses his trust and blackmails him into supplying weapons and ammo (including a uniquely lethal bullet) that are used in a spate of robberies, Vincent is dragged into the fray. It also plunges him into the internecine rivalry between his police mentors (Gérard Lanvin and Simon Abkarian). Du Welz's reputation is built on unsettling chillers like Calvaire, Vinyan, and Alleluia so it's curious to find him directing a routine crime drama, but rumours of studio interference may explain the gaping, unexplored plot holes and perfunctory characterisation. It's a pity, as the rain-drenched climax with Vincent finally taking up the way of the gun is suitably brutal and bleak.