At 51, Guillaume Canet is back in better shape than ever in Ad Vitam. In this powerful thriller, which he is credited with starring and co-writing, the Little Handkerchiefs director plays Frank Lazarev, a former member of GIGN who becomes involved in a vast political conspiracy.
Guillaume Canet performs a series of action scenes in this Rodolphe Lauga feature film (La Source). His intense training is visible on screen and he has never appeared in such physical shape during his career.
Guillaume Canet as Bebel’s worthy successor
His willingness to do his own stunts, especially aerial stunts, is all the more impressive given that he suffered from a phobia of heights before filming. But his training with a specialist coach and members of GIGN allowed him to overcome his fear and fulfill his “childhood dream” in his own words.
It was Jean-Paul Belmondo who convinced Guillaume Canet to play this type of character. The legendary French actor had definitely heard about the actor/director’s passion for extreme sports and offered to highlight this aspect of his personality in one of his films.
Not surprisingly, several “Bébel” films inspired the writing of Ad Vitam, notably Le Professionnel and Peur sur la ville. Although Guillaume Canet’s favorite film of all the films directed by Jean-Paul Belmondo is Claude Lelouch’s Spoiled Child Route.
“Guigi Cruise”
The American blockbuster Top Gun was also a source of inspiration, both for the tone of the film and for the desire to do its own stunts. On the set of Ad Vitam, Guillaume Canet also inherited the nickname “Guigui Cruise” (in reference to the American actor Tom Cruise), he revealed on the RTL morning show.
Ad Vitam benefited from a large budget that allowed it to film in unlikely locations. The opening scene of the film shows Guillaume Canet falling from the top of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Montmartre. The climactic chase scene could also have been filmed in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
Obtaining authorization to film was particularly difficult, especially since filming took place shortly before the Games in Paris. “For the Sacré Cœur, everything was left unclear until the end: a few days before the shooting, we still didn’t have permission to shoot there, but this is the opening scene of the film!” explains Guillaume Canet in the press suite.
Emotion leads to action
But Ad Vitam is not just an action movie. The idea for the feature film came to Guillaume Canet before filming Jedotville, during his training at the Gendarmerie Training Center with GIGN member Thibaut Lévec. The latter then met Cane again on the set of L’Amour est une fête as a prop specialist specializing in weapons.
This makeover from a serious injury in Paris greatly moved the French actor and gave him the idea for the script for Ad Vitam. “Turning these gendarmes is quite painful. When I listened to him tell me about his journey and his “life before” to his “life after”, I immediately found material for a terrible scenario. he noted.
Ad Vitam is a brand new French production that you will discover exclusively on Netflix.
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Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
