It is true to say all films are a fantasy. They come from someone's imagination. But even fantasy has a kind of rule book. If Mary Poppins drops in from a space ship you start asking questions instead of accepting the unfolding drama. When you start saying halfway through a movie, this is impossible, no one can do that - even if it is a fantasy - then the movie has failed. In this movie, Denis is a French soldier trapped in a desert. He has put his foot on a mine. The only mine in hundreds of miles. If he moves he'll get blown up. He gets shot in the arm. Has no water. And yet he remains upright a day and a night with taking his foot off for a second. He even calls his wife in France on his cell phone and apart form getting some white grease paint to make him look a bit off key, manages to cope quite happily. This movie sets itself up as a slice of realism. That means you have to stick to the rules. Fact. Get a slug in your body, anywhere and you die without immediate medical aid. Soldiers carry morphine to ease the pain. Not Denis. Trapped reminds me of those old Westerns when Tom Mix gets shot. No blood. No pain. Great photography saves a very very silly movie from zero rating. At times I felt almost as trapped as Denis
3 Reviews
Countdown in the desert.
ulicknormanowen28 April 2020
The only survivor of a lightning attack, sergeant Denis Quillard sets the foot on a Russian mine .He is stuck in the middle of the Afghan desert ,alone with his fears and his doubts.The enemy is approaching.The countdown has begun.
The problem with a story which takes place in a tiny space is that it's difficult to sustain the interest throughout ; "buried" (2010) brillantly took up the challenge and suspense kept the viewer glued to his chair ; "the wall" (2017) was almost as good, with an unexpected brilliant ending.
The same does not go for " piégé " :one feels for the hero,and the actor has to be praised for his thankless part ;but the events and devolpments are too few and far between ,nothing really happens .Besides ,is it possible to be standing under a blistering sun during such a long time without eating ,and ,mainly drinking?
There are beautiful shots of the desert ,and the idea was not derivative,but the treatment is not adequate .
The problem with a story which takes place in a tiny space is that it's difficult to sustain the interest throughout ; "buried" (2010) brillantly took up the challenge and suspense kept the viewer glued to his chair ; "the wall" (2017) was almost as good, with an unexpected brilliant ending.
The same does not go for " piégé " :one feels for the hero,and the actor has to be praised for his thankless part ;but the events and devolpments are too few and far between ,nothing really happens .Besides ,is it possible to be standing under a blistering sun during such a long time without eating ,and ,mainly drinking?
There are beautiful shots of the desert ,and the idea was not derivative,but the treatment is not adequate .
A sort of french Buried on the ground instead of under it.
searchanddestroy-123 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
We could say that film is a sort of mix up between HURT LOCKER and BURIED. With a little touch of LES MORFALOUS, because it involves a bunch of lost patrol, in the middle of nowhere, in the desert - Afghanistan - with a loot in front of them - a heroin shipment taken from the Talibans.
A fair, interesting and exciting little suspenser. One of the troopers finds himself with his foot on a mine, and can not move...Reduced to only twenty minutes, it could easily have been an ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episode. Because the ending is very surprising, not the one you might expect.
You see, in most tales of this kind, where the lead finds himself in an impossible situation, he nearly always eventually makes it. In this tale, that's exactly the contrary.
A very ironic tale, I assure you.
A genuine must see film, with a tiny budget.
A fair, interesting and exciting little suspenser. One of the troopers finds himself with his foot on a mine, and can not move...Reduced to only twenty minutes, it could easily have been an ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episode. Because the ending is very surprising, not the one you might expect.
You see, in most tales of this kind, where the lead finds himself in an impossible situation, he nearly always eventually makes it. In this tale, that's exactly the contrary.
A very ironic tale, I assure you.
A genuine must see film, with a tiny budget.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
