Wingwomen (Movie)

A feisty Adèle Exarchopoulos does the heavy lifting in this otherwise uninspired action-comedy set in France.“Wingwomen” is the rare French action movie directed by a woman, Mélanie Laurent, the breakout star of “Inglourious Basterds” turned filmmaker in her native France. Laurent’s seventh feature, a girl-power spectacle, purports to be a naughtier version of “Charlie’s Angels” — its leading three ladies party, smoke and have vigorous libidos — so it’s too bad these spicier elements are muted by the film’s flat tone and derivative style.Laurent also stars as the film’s veteran thief, Carole, a steely, chiseled blonde. Her bestie, and No. 2, is Alex (Adèle Exarchopoulos), an expert sniper and an unabashed flirt whom the older Carole recruited years ago for a diamond heist. Now a seasoned crime team, Carole is the brains, Alex the muscle. The duo eventually gains a third leg with Sam (Manon Bresch), a racecar driver.Among the three gals, Alex does the heavy lifting on all fronts: She performs most of the kills, and she’s also — thanks to a feisty, potty-mouthed Exarchopoulos — the source of the film’s grit, sensuality and humor. In one scene, she bluntly fast-tracks a flirtation into a romp in the sack, which evolves into a moonlit fight scene with a peeping-Tom hit man. Alex gets bruised and bloodied, but so does the meathead baddie. It’s one of the few moments when the film’s feminist beatdowns feel genuinely triumphant: Alex shifts seamlessly from coy playgirl to seasoned killer, and she’s deliciously blasé about her body count, in both senses of the word.Yet “Wingwomen” isn’t just about Alex, which is a problem because Exarchopoulos is the only player whose charisma shines through the plot’s mechanical proceedings. Carole discovers she’s pregnant and wants out of the crime life, triggering the conflict: Godmother, a Sapphic mob boss played by Isabelle Adjani, says she will grant Carole her exit only if the ladies head to Corsica to steal a painting.Competent, unremarkable action scenes — a low-stakes motorcycle chase off the island coastline, a brief shootout in a woodland fortress — come together with ironic comic beats and snippy back-and-forths among the women. (The comedian Philippe Katerine occasionally steps in, too, as the Bosley-like intermediary Abner.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.We are confirming your access to this article, this will take just a moment. However, if you are using Reader mode please log in, subscribe, or exit Reader mode since we are unable to verify access in that state.Confirming article access.If you are a subscriber, please  More