Here is a movie that I beleive deserves a better fate than the one it has had so far. ‘Boite noire‘ (or ‘Black Box‘ in English) directed by Yann Gozlan, who is also co-author of the screenplay, got lost in France and other French-speaking countries in the avalanche of releases that have taken place in recent months, after movie theaters reopened. It’s a shame, because it is, in my opinion, the best thriller I’ve seen this year. I write this, of course, with caution, given that we still have a month and a half of movies ahead of us until the end of 2021. Techno-thriller fans will be happiest if they get a chance to see it, but I don’t think it will be only them, taking into account that the lead role is cast to Pierre Niney, an actor who dominates the films in which he appears, and who has a complex and disturbing role here, which he plays formidably.
The only category of spectators who probably will not have the opportunity to see ‘Boite noire‘ are the passengers who access the entertainment systems of the air flights. The reason is that the film begins with a plane crash in which 300 people lose their lives, and the story of the film revolves around the investigation of this case: accident due to human error? terrorist attack? technical failure maybe due to the accelerated launching of a new model of aircraft? Those in charge of such investigations in France are the experts from BEA, a real organization with the full name of the Bureau of Investigations and Analyzes for Civil Aviation Safety. The person in charge of the investigation and the main hero of the film is Mathieu Vasseur (Pierre Niney), an expert in listening to the soundtracks recorded during flights and coordinating with the information transmitted by aircraft, information that is stored in the famous black box that is installed in modern aircraft. Mathieu has an extraordinary sense of hearing, imagination in building scenarios based on accumulated data, integrity and perseverance, but all these qualities can become impediments when revealing the truth puts him in conflict with bosses, industry magnates and even his beautiful wife who it is also involved in the flight approvals of aircraft in the skies of Europe. So we are finally dealing with the rather classic scheme of the individual hero who fights with the system and endangers his professional status, his family and at extreme his life in search of the truth. An American situation in a European film.
Pierre Niney is perfectly suited to the roles in which he fights with his own demons and in which he tries to internalize his weaknesses. Mathieu Vasseur from ‘Boite noire‘ is one of these roles. Alongside him are Lou de Laage, a beautiful and intelligent actress, in the role of his wife and Andre Dussollier, a veteran of the French screen that I have seen in many supporting roles and who here gets a well-deserved more consistent role. The story is cleverly written with many twists and turns that keep the viewers’ attention permanently awake. ‘Boite noire‘ is a well-made and well-played techno-thriller, which I hope will have the opportunity to be seen and enjoyed by as many spectators as possible.