Ad Vitam 2025 Movie Scene Guillaume Canet as Franck holding a machinegun in the bushes with Stéphane Caillard as Leo and Nassim Lyes as Ben

Ad Vitam [2025] – Paris, Special Forces and Corruption

September 18, 2025

Putain! Is Ad Vitam another sleek-looking French action thriller featuring a pretty serious atmosphere and a mildly entertaining story they’re taking way too seriously? It most certainly is and I freaking love it. I live for this shit, I’ll have to admit. Guillaume Canet, one of the most active French actors today plays the lead role. You might remember him from The Beach or as Asterix in 2023’s Astérix & Obélix: L’empire du milieu. Movies like this are no-brainers for me. You just know Ad Vitam will be a movie worth watching and the only question that remains is just how good it is. Well, the answer to that question is good but not that good.

I’d say one viewing now and one in about ten years when you’ve forgotten all about it. Because the story is so generic forgetting it won’t be that difficult. At least the title is memorable and, translated from Latin, Ad Vitam means “For Life”. The phrase, worn by a veteran gendarme, has a double meaning: you’re basically a law enforcement officer for life and you’re fighting for lives of the others. I guess the American version of that is “Once a Marine, Always a Marine”. With that out of the way, it’s time for a brief summary. We find Franck and his pregnant wife Leo in a hot mess. Their apartment has just been wrecked and the bad guys didn’t find what they were looking for.

Now it’s time for that famous “you’re probably wondering how I got in this situation” flashback. So, we go back in time and see young Franck following in his father’s footsteps and training to be a member of an elite gendarme unit GIGN. However, he will soon get into a lot of trouble and find himself in the crosshairs of a mysterious crime organization. I know I made this out to sound pretty exciting but the truth is a bit different. While the first and third acts of Ad Vitam were great, the second was quite slow and uneventful. We go through all the stages of a military, or in this case, police, training with the customary bonding and all that jazz.

Granted, we will see some pretty daring climbing not just on top of the buildings but on obstacle courses too. Canet comes off as a cross between Sean Penn (looks, attitude) and Tom Cruise (stunts) in this movie. I have to say that if you’re afraid of heights, some of the scenes will feel quite nerve-wracking. And I admire Canet’s and Nassim Lyes’s (Farang) dedication as they apparently did the stunts themselves. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say Canet will go out of his way to get high, literally. Additionally, the whole GIGN training feels a bit over-the-top, especially the whole “let my buddy shoot me in the vest” accuracy test.

I mean, come on, no one would allow for that to happen no matter what unit or country they’re in. If you want to see some authentic GIGN stuff, I suggest you check out The Assault based on actual events. All of this is in line with what I previously said, Ad Vitam is a forgettable action thriller that works best if you’re willing to suspend your belief and just go with the flow. Don’t get me wrong, the main story had a lot of potential and I liked the twist in the final third. However, pacing and script issues along with the tendency to bend reality led to this outcome. Since Ad Vitam is available for streaming on Netflix, you don’t have to think about it too much.

Finally, I just have to say that as someone who doesn’t live in Paris, France, I think they’re underutilizing the stunning beauty of this city. I would love more immersive “world-building” shots, just like in old French neo-noir thrillers. If, however, you’re looking for something more modern, I can give you a few recommendations. Bronx, The Crew, and The Stronghold will be enough to get you started. And I’m certain that you’ll fall in love with these French action thrillers instantly.