Overdose

For a while now, Sara Bellaïche ( Sofia Essaïdi ), head of a drug unit in the Toulouse police force, has been on the trail of the gang that is smuggling drugs in the area. It has had little success so far, which is why the pressure is constantly increasing. But now she has a new plan to put boss Alfonso Castroviejo ( Carlos Bardem ) behind bars and has planted former cop Reynal ( Nicolas Cazalé ) in the gang, who was himself in prison for drugs. Meanwhile, Richard Cross ( Assaâd Bouab) from the Paris police has his own case that he has to solve: someone shot two boys in a hospital. But who could have committed this monstrous act? And for what reason?

As an actor, Olivier Marchal is certainly known to many crime fans. For example, he played one of the main roles in the three seasons of the series The Crimson Rivers, and a few weeks ago he also starred in The Bayonne Beast. But the veteran French actor, who began his career in the late 1980s, isn’t content with just being a part of dark stories. He may also tell them himself. As a director, he directed a number of thrillers over the course of his career, including Gangen von Marseille. And also his latest work, the Amazon Prime Video exclusive Overdose, belongs to this genre, combined with elements of action films and crime fiction.

This time the setting is a little bigger than last time. So he’s on the road again in the south of France: Sara is stationed in Toulouse, and places like Carcassonne are also addressed. But the story also takes place in Spain and Paris. It’s a bit confusing, especially at the beginning, it takes a while until you can assign the different storylines. It takes even longer for the threads to come together. One can imagine that the hunt for the drug ring has some connection to the murders of the children. Otherwise, it wouldn’t all be part of a movie. But Overdose takes quite a long time to put the cards on the table. The murders are only solved at the very end.

• Overdose