Scheduled to hit American theaters in earnest a few months from now, Blank is notable as one of two films at Tribeca starring Gilles Lellouche. A complete change-up from the predatory financier of Cédric Klapisch’s My Piece of the Pie, Lellouche makes a credible wrongly accused everyman in the Hitchcockian tradition. However, the film really belongs to Roschdy Zem as Hugo Sartet, the stone-cold safe-cracker who inadvertently pulls Lellouche’s innocent nurse’s assistant into a major criminal conspiracy.
Quietly intense and smoothly charismatic, Zem makes a killer noir anti-hero. As Sartet, he truly exemplifies screen presence. Overdue for breakout international stardom after memorable appearances in Outside the Law and The Girl from Monaco, Blank might finally settle the matter.
Cavayé also earns breakout props for Blank. Tightly paced and sharply executed, he has helmed quite an agile thriller, while also showing the occasional flash of mordant wit. He also demonstrates a rare talent for choreographing near riot scenes, deftly balancing the mass chaos with the need to show the characters’ action with clarity.