Squad 36 (2025)

Squad 36 (2025), directed by Olivier Marchal, is a French crime-thriller that dives into the gritty muck of police corruption with a moody, rain-soaked Parisian backdrop. Victor Belmondo stars as Antoine Cerda, a brooding cop kicked out of his elite BRI unit, who goes rogue to investigate the murders of two former squadmates and the disappearance of a third.

The film kicks off with a pulse-pounding car-motorcycle chase that promises high stakes, but it soon settles into a slow-burn procedural weighed down by familiar tropes—corrupt cops, shadowy gangsters, and a protagonist too stubborn for his own good. Belmondo’s quiet intensity and the ensemble (Tewfik Jallab, Yvan Attal, Juliette Dol) keep it watchable, with slick cinematography and a noirish vibe nodding to Marchal’s 36th Precinct.

Yet, the 124-minute runtime drags with repetitive dialogue and a plot that meanders until a cynical twist ending feels more forced than earned. It’s a solid, testosterone-fueled throwback for fans of French crime dramas, but lacks the spark or depth to stand out in a crowded genre.