Summary
It has been ten long years since the last installment ofGrand Theft Autowas released, and in that huge stretch of time, fans have been desperately awaiting news about the next installment. Hope finally arrived very recently, as Rockstar announced that the first trailer forGrand Theft Auto 6would be released into the world in December of 2023.
After the excruciating wait,GTAfans finally have a glimmer of hope to cling to. In the window before the trailer releases, fans are sure to be champing at the bit forGTAcontent more ferociously than ever before. For those looking to satisfy that urge, the French action movieLost Bulletmight be exactly what they’re looking for.
93 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes Score
78%
Lost Bulletis aFrench action movie about a thief and mechanicnamed Lino, who is capable of souping up cars to ridiculous levels of power and durability. After he plows through four walls of concrete in an attempt to rob a store, he is sent to prison. Lino is soon given the opportunity to engineer police cars for Charas, a detective, and the two bond as Lino works. Charas gets Lino a garage to work in and a pardon, but things take a turn for the worse when Areski, a corrupt cop, kills Charas and frames Lino for the crime. Areski leads a group of crooked cops and had to dispose of Charas, who was beginning to catch onto their illegal activity.
Things look bleak for Lino until he realizes that the bullet used to kill Charas would still be somewhere in the car Charas was in when he was shot. Lino deduces that if he can get the bullet back to the police station, the forensics team will be able to trace the bullet back to Areski’s gun. Lino sets out on a mission to find the car and make it back in one piece, all while evading the actively searching police.
Lost Bulletisn’t particularly deep in the story or character departments, but the action is beautiful and abundant. In spite of the generic narrative, the film still feels deeply satisfying to watch, seeing Lino attempt to change and bring his engineering skills full circle. The movie is available to stream on Netflix, both with English dubbing and in the original French.
Destructive driving gameplay
Intense, chaotic car action sequences
Gameplay focus on vehicle upgrades
Plot revolves around powering up cars
Gameplay revolves around looming presence of police
Plot revolves around conflict with police
Morally conflicted protagonists
Morally conflicted protagonist
Lost Bulletis a fun and entertaining movie all on its own, but what really sets it apart here is the massive amount of conceptual overlap the film has withGrand Theft Auto. At their core, both pieces of media are about explosive action, cool cars, casts of colorful criminals, and copious amounts of public destruction.Lost Bulletdoes a great job of mirroring not only the main story elements ofGrand Theft Auto, but the portrayal of chaos and violence as well. Perhaps the most iconic way to playGTAis to get with a few friends and do as much damage as possible in the free-roam mode, and in many waysLost Bulletfeels like that experience put into film.
Grand Theft Autowouldquite literally be nothingwithout the car component. Driving is incredibly fun due to how fast-paced and reckless it is. Players can get a sense of what it’s like to drive in a way that is never realistically possible in real life, going a hundred miles per hour on city roads and ramming right through stoplights. It gives a feeling of being completely unencumbered, free to drive any way, go anywhere, do anything. There’s no law that can put a stop to the fun, at least no law that can’t be outrun. And, of course, that means stealing cars is fair game, leading to the wonderful process of constantly swapping vehicles to find something bigger, faster, more durable.
Lost Bulletsimilarly revolves around cars, and the result is incredibly fun. Characters drive as if they have nothing to lose, since they’re already wanted anyway. Upgrades are taken to the next level here, as rather than just going from car to car, Lino instead modifies his mentor’s car to become a one-engine army. Equipping his vehicle with hooks, battering rams, and bullbars, he tears his way through an entire police blockade, even hooking one car to use as a shield for incoming bullets.
This is just one of the many insane driving set pieces present in the film, calling to mind immediately the beautiful havoc ofGrand Theft Auto. Drivers inLost Bulletbash into each other at high speeds, rig cars to explode, run combatants over, and engage in on road shootouts. Characters are sent flying through windshields, instantly calling to mind the rag doll physics which accompany the iconic wasted screen. And as his final challenge, Lino must pilot his car back to the police station as it is on fire. It is a scene very reminiscent of the most intense moments fromGTA, where the player has the police on their tail and must keep their vehicle moving as it falls further and further apart.
This conflict with the police is one of the most central to bothGTAandLost Bullet. The police inGTAare a constant threat, always looming even if not always visible. They factor into every decision the player makes. There is no safety even with no wanted stars, because acquiring them is all too easy. Any slip up gets those voices on the radio going. And once that wanted status has been obtained, there can never be any rest. The stress that the police’s presence provides is ahuge part of the fun ofGTA, and the same energy is carried over intoLost Bullet. The film’s pace is accelerated by the need for Lino to keep moving. Both the game series and film are made better for the cat and mouse dynamic; it’s just more fun to break the rules when the enemy could be anywhere.
Finally,Grand Theft Autois famous for featuring protagonists who certainly couldn’t be called heroes, but who end up endearing players to them anyway. Objectively, these characters are criminals and murderers, self-serving scum all too willing to hurt others to get what they’re after. They always just have some aspect to them that keeps them from being completely beyond redemption, however. Whether they’re truly down on their luck, or have those special few people they’ll always be there for, or even if they’re just not quite as detestable as the enemies they’re up against, there’s something about these characters that gets fans rooting for them at least a little bit.
Lost Bulletgoes for the exact same thing. Lino is not a squeaky clean person. He ends up in jail for a reason, after all. He’s a seasoned thief and is all too willing to hurt or kill other people if they stand in his way. However, he’s not completely devoid of humanity, avoiding killing his opponents if he can manage it and caring deeply for his friends. What’s more, he seems genuinely capable of change and is legitimately innocent of the crime he’s been accused of. It’s impossible to not root for him, at least enough to clear his name and avenge his friend. IfGTAfans are after something to satisfy themuntil theGTA 6trailer comes out, Lino’s story would be an excellent one to tune into.
