The son for the father... is in charge! Honestly, at first I somehow “strived” to watch this film – it seems that the clump rating is not at all, and the names of the actors and creators of the tape told me almost nothing. But then I thought, "Well, that's what the French did, and they're very respectful of the traditions of their great and long-standing supranational cinema, and they have creative failures as rare as rain in the Sahara." In general, he turned on “self-defense” and did not regret it! At least because I was corny interested, as well as any ordinary viewer, to unravel the criminal intrigue with the robbery of the apartment of an elderly private detective, who was quietly kicked out of the police for dark deeds. By the way, where did the father of a kind and peaceful family son go? Everyone would like to know: the drug police (by the way, shown here to be cynical to the limit - the realities of modern Europe!), the local drug mafia, which, as it turned out, Daddy owed something (and not only them). And for the sins of the father, it is necessary to puff out a son who knows nothing about them (" I only care for his cat), who finds himself between three fires. And in order to extinguish them, he, who is not versed in the affairs of his parent, can only become a detective himself, and gradually, stage by stage, episode by episode, turn from rohli-tikhoni into a real tough man, a warrior and a defender of his family (as it is written to us in our family!). Only here in the final almost perfect image of the father will split to pieces. Isn't that a heartbeat? But the son is mature enough to carry it and understand. So with the dramaturgy in our film everything is fine - at least for "four with a minus."
I also liked, of course, not a new, but always "shooting" film technique: at significant "intermittences" we are shown some fluctuating algae ... After the second show, I realized that this is the famous Chekhov rifle that hangs on the wall of the play, but always shoots in the last act! It’s nice that French filmmakers do not forget the world Russian classic and his “teachings”!
Separately. In the film there are scenes of violence (my recommendations for age - 14+), but especially terrible look episodes with crushing the head of a cat and killing a dog (of course, in the frame “details” are not shown!). This is a strong psychological move, characterizing bandits (if anyone does not understand) as inhuman. After such scenes, all animal lovers (and I, the old cat man) should just throw myself at the screen and rip these bastards apart with their teeth! What the creators of the film wanted: if it is not possible to anger the bourgeois European philistine with the murder of people (eka never before, everyone has long been accustomed to them!), then atrocities against animals (forgive the involuntary pun), our cats and dogs, “brothers smaller” certainly “will work”. It worked. That's right.
Based on the above, I put “Self-defense” the score, which, in my opinion, it fully deserved, no more and no less:
7 out of 10