Cert 15
92 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, violence
If evidence were needed that an intelligent London Has Fallen-style movie, complete with chiseled hunk, could be made, here it is.
Bastille Day's storyline is not entirely convincing but it is plausible enough to enable it not to distract from the excitement.
And, with Idris Elba, Hollywood's flavour of the month, taking on the bad guys, there is brains behind the ass-kicking.
Elba plays an anti-terrorism officer who is brought in to catch a suspect (Richard Madden) after a bombing in Paris.
But his involvement is complicated on two fronts - firstly, his target is an unwitting participant and, secondly, he is under the wing of a covert CIA operation.
James Watkins' film is an amalgam of chases (yes, there is the inevitable hot-foot across the roofs of Paris) and twists.
Elba's testosterone overload is the glue which holds it together but, while I would accept his character is something of a cliche, he is more credible than many similar big screen heroes.
Meanwhile, Madden is disarming as conman who finds himself way out of his criminal league, and Charlotte Le Bon is suitably vulnerable as a naive young woman who is used by terrorists.
Bastille Day brings a decent-sized pinch of political intrigue to the action and that pushes it ahead of many movies of the genre.
Despite elaborate back-up, this is a vehicle for Elba and is evidence how just how far his star has risen.
However, whatever his admirers might think, even he cannot be a master of everything and proves the point with a truly ghastly rap which accompanies Fatboy Slim over the closing credits.
Reasons to watch: A well devised, intense thriller
Reasons to avoid: Idris Elba's singing on the closing credits
Laughs: none
Jumps: one
Vomit: none
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Star tweet
#BastilleDay in UK cinemas today! I made the end credits track with #NormanCook @FatboySlim, full track on Spotify
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