REVIEW: ‘Elite Force’ Is A Memorable High Octane Experience

Elite Force (GIGN) succeeds at combining intense action sequences with even more intense family drama. The French-language action thriller from director Julien Leclercq is a fictional story about the real-life elite tactical unit, Groupe d’intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale, or GIGN for short.

The unit operates as both a branch of local law enforcement and as highly trained military soldiers. To give it an even more authentic feel, the series was filmed on location at GIGN headquarters in Versailles. Elite Force is a fun action series but also has a real story about family, loyalty, and betrayal right underneath the surface.

Elite Force focuses on Commander David Berger (Tomer Sisley) as he leads a group of new recruits through a rigorous testing period to join the ranks of GIGN. In the midst of this, GIGN is robbed in broad daylight of some very powerful explosives. The theft and the subsequent op to track them down lay the groundwork for the biggest narrative piece of Elite Force.

Among the new recruits is David’s godson, Max (Tristan Zanchi). Max’s father was a GIGN officer and David’s partner. He was killed in the line of duty 15 years ago, and Max desperately wants to follow in his father’s footsteps in GIGN.

Filming on location gives Elite Force a more authentic, lived-in feeling.

On the other hand, David wants Max to have nothing to do with GIGN, afraid that he can’t do enough to protect him, and so he actively attempts to sabotage Max’s recruitment. None of that matters because Max is talented and earns his spot in GIGN despite David’s better efforts. At Max’s graduation, David had planned on announcing his retirement, but when he is unable to stop Max from joining GIGN, he stays to keep an eye on him.

That night, as people celebrate inside, David and his boss Christophe (Thierry Neuvic) stand in the parking lot talking about Max, about David and his wife Jess (Judith El Zein), and about the challenges that all of this poses. Their conversation is interrupted when a car bomb underneath Christophe’s car explodes.

The ensuing investigation will go on to uncover a link between the two major events in the first episode. More than that, it will crack open a can of worms that tests the resolve of several families because for the terrorists, it’s all personal.

Elite Force’s greatest strength is that it commits to being an action series. Yes, there is a serialized story happening, but the more emotional and narrative-driven pieces never overshadow the fact that it’s an action series. The reverse is also true; Elite Force never allows the action to forget that there is a deeper story happening alongside it.

The balance between action and the more emotive, narrative-driven components is handled well.

Even when the show veers off from one angle to the other, it’s always justified by the work it’s doing. By the end of Episode 4, the series’ main conflict appears to be handled. The bad guy can’t hurt anyone else, and David and Max appear to have found some sense of closure in this whole mess.

Then Episode 5 deals with the fallout almost like an epilogue of sorts. There is a real feeling like this is the end of the series even when there is one more episode. The end of Episode 5 reshapes everything that came before it, and Episode 6 is allowed to be all action from start to finish.

That kind of pacing individually can feel like tonal whiplash, and if the series was a weekly release instead of binge-style, it would have been a major drawback. In this case, though, the calmer, less action-oriented nature of Episode 5 ended up providing some much-needed information, allowing Episode 6 to be a home run.

The score from composer Laurent Perez Del Mar through all six episodes is phenomenal. There are moments that feel tense, and the music adds to the adrenaline. There are quieter, more reserved moments that are allowed to breathe. Two of the characters play piano, and their playing allowed some of the more transitional scenes to have some depth and character. 

The score heightens each moment, adding to the immersive nature of the series.

One character plays peacefully unaware that elsewhere in the city, her daughter is the target of domestic terrorists. The peaceful music allows viewers to really feel the bliss in her ignorance. Perez Del Mar crafts a true work of art that pays attention to every small detail.

While most of the acting in Elite Force is just okay, a few actors stand out. Tomer Sisley as David Berger has the best performance. Sisley makes it clear from the very first episode that David is a deeply flawed human trying to make the best decisions he can. He carries that gravitas into every scene he’s in. As layers of the story are peeled back, Sisley’s interpretation of David becomes even richer, showcasing that perfection isn’t needed for someone to be a hero.

Tristan Zanchi as Max is also an incredible casting choice. Max is about 25 years old and brand new to the GIGN. Max is highly skilled and implausibly talented but also carries a lot of insecurities anchored in the death of his father and the subsequent consistent absence of his godfather. Zanchi understands the two sides of Max don’t have to war with each other. The result is that Max is part cocky, even to the point of being arrogant at times, part stubborn hothead who doesn’t just let things go, and part frightened and insecure young man.

Judith El Zein is also a very successful casting. She truly captures her character and brings Jess to life. Jess is probably the most complex character, but only when viewed in hindsight. Many of the emotionally charged statements she makes can be looked right past during an initial watch, but their color changes immensely once the full breadth of the story is revealed. Statements about loyalty and family and her husband’s commitment to the job over his family take on whole new meaning by the end of the series.

A common action trope used in Elite Force brings everyone together in the end.

Despite its rich storytelling, Elite Force suffers from a common action-thriller trope. By Episode 6, there are characters with disciplinary actions being taken against them and characters who have a personal vested interest in the case. Despite suspensions and conflicts of interest, no character misses out on the big action finale in Episode 6, and the director of IGGN, the accountability body that monitors the actions of GIGN members, is suddenly nowhere to be found.

That said, from a filmmaker perspective, it makes total sense that they don’t want to cut down their cast right before the moments that matter the most. Still, it would be nice if Episode 5 or early Episode 6 included even one line to make their involvement make more sense.

The ending of Elite Force is a cliffhanger. If the series ends here, it will be six hours telling a story without a proper ending. As of this writing, Netflix hasn’t renewed it for a second season, though it’s been securely in their top 10 TV rankings since its release. Still, Netflix loves to cancel TV shows even when they’re doing well, so it may end up proving not to be prudent to write from such a confident posture.

All that to say, Elite Force is worth the watch. Looking for action? It’s got action. Looking for drama? Look no further. Looking for twists and turns? There’s currently no better place. Elite Force isn’t some revolutionary idea, and its reliance on classic action-thriller tropes keeps it from being the best of the best, but this isn’t a series to sleep on.

Elite Force is now streaming, exclusively on Netflix.