Spurned on by my enjoyment of the two Crimson River films, I went on a mini-Jean Reno action film marathon (more like a 5K fun run, really) not too long ago, and the results were good. Empire of the Wolves was the last of the films I watched, and it's an interesting blend of science fiction silliness and "cops track down a serial killer" procedural, with Reno playing a disgraced cop of Turkish descent who teams up with an ambitious young detective played by Jocelyn Quivrin. While the two cops investigate a series of killings involving young Turkish women, another woman (Arly Jover) suffering from amnesia begins to unravel the mystery of her past, resulting in the exposure of some crazy sci-fi reprogramming and reconstructive surgery conspiracy involving the man claiming to be the husband she can't remember. Obviously, the film twists and turns in sometimes outrageous fashion until the two plots are brought together.

Chris Nahon, who previously directed the uneven Jet Li actioner Kiss of the Dragon, comes from the Luc Besson training school, and as such, Empire of the Wolves is yet another one of those films that continues to destroy French cinema. And predictably enough, I thought it was pretty good. Reno is, of course, as good as he always is, and the rest of the cast fills out their characters fairly well. As was the case with the two Crimson River films, and as is the case with almost all of the films that come from the Luc Besson factory, the script could have used some polishing. It meanders wildly, and as you expect, some of the twists and action sequences stretch credibility. But then, when you are watching a movie about space age reprogramming of former spies and drug runners that somehow ties into serial killings as cover-ups: well, how realistic do you expect it to be? Two action setpieces really stand out. The first takes place in a vast catacomb where revelations as to a number of identities are finally made. The second comes shortly thereafter, when the movie shifts to a final showdown in a remote mountain village in Turkey. It's all pretty good, if totally nonsensical, entertainment, slickly produced, well paced, and thoroughly ludicrous. Hooray for the death of French cinema!