We discover her for the first time not in uniform but in a swimsuit on her jet-ski, in the middle of an arrest: here is police captain Alison Flesh, raw and uninhibited audacity, more often seen at the wheel (leopard) of his vintage red Peugeot only in the corridors of the police station.
Played by Alice Pol (convincing in this crazy role), the heroine has a little side to Morgane Alvaro, the main character of “HPI”.
But if Adeline Picault's film at times takes on the appearance of a detective soap opera, this one is more cut out for the cinema.
In pursuit of a serial killer, Alison will team up with Leïla Balani (Shirine Boutella).
This Parisian expert in criminology, freshly arrived in Nice for a trial period, shows herself to be rigorous and methodical, more adept at protocol than surprises on the ground.
Two radically opposed cops, one extroverted and overexcited, the other manic, clumsy and insecure.
The comic shift works quite well.
Add to that the setting of the very cinematic “French Riviera”, flamboyant colors, seagulls and southern warmth, and the Mediterranean cocktail becomes explosive.
In this happy mess, we find Ramzy Bedia in the role of the somewhat jilted commissioner.
“Sirens”.
There is something in this polysemous title that comes from feminine mythology and the
(paradoxically very masculine and here misogynistic)
universe of the police.
A hybrid film
(a little police thriller, a lot of comedy)
which floats a little to move from one register to another and proves more effective in the second than in the first.
He owes a lot to the charm of his female tandem.
This feature film does not reinvent the “buddy movie” genre but embraces a feminist action comedy in a resolutely contemporary style.
Editor's note:
3/5
“Sirens”,
French police comedy directed by Adeline Picault (2024), with Alice Pol, Shirine Boutella, Natacha Lindinger, Ramzy Bedia... (1h35).
On Prime Video.