Anthony Mackie
Paul
Overview
A nurse is forced to spring a wounded murder suspect from the hospital when the man’s brother kidnaps his pregnant wife and wants to make a trade.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
5 min readThe Brotherhood of Bad Decisions
I’ve seen this movie three times now, and each time I’m struck by the same thought: Point Blank isn’t really about the bullets. It’s about the way two men—strangers forced into a nightmarish partnership—keep choosing each other, over and over, even when every logical bone in their bodies should tell them to run. That choice, more than any car chase or hospital shootout, is what lingers.
Joe Lynch’s 2019 Netflix thriller is a remake of the 2010 French film À bout portant, though you’d be forgiven for not knowing that. The title alone has caused more confusion than a Fast & Furious timeline, with audiences expecting either a Lee Marvin-style neo-noir or, inexplicably, Point Break with snowboards. What they get instead is something messier and more interesting: a high-speed screwball comedy that occasionally remembers it’s supposed to be a thriller.
The premise is simple enough. Anthony Mackie plays Paul, a nurse whose pregnant wife is kidnapped by a criminal’s brother (Frank Grillo). To get her back, Paul must break the brother out of the hospital where he’s being treated under police guard.
What follows is 86 minutes of mayhem, most of it set in the fluorescent purgatory of a hospital at night—a place that feels less like a medical facility and more like the world’s most poorly lit escape room.
The film’s greatest strength is the way it sells the absurdity of its own premise. Lynch, a director best known for horror (Mayhem, Chucky vs. Child’s Play), approaches the material with a kind of giddy, almost slapstick energy.
The action is kinetic, but it’s the kind of kinetic that feels like it might collapse into farce at any moment—and that’s the point. This isn’t a movie about precision; it’s a movie about chaos, and the way people cling to each other when the world is falling apart.
Take the scene where Paul and Abe (Grillo) first team up. They’re in a stairwell, surrounded by cops, with no clear exit. The dialogue is rapid-fire, the kind of back-and-forth you’d expect from a buddy cop movie, not a thriller. “You’re a nurse, right?” Abe asks. “Yeah,” Paul says, exasperated. “So you know how to stitch me up if I get shot?” “I’m not a doctor,” Paul snaps.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.2/10
"A fast-paced but messy action thriller that relies too heavily on its leads to paper over a thin plot."
Viewers appreciate the energetic direction and the dynamic between Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo, which keeps the film engaging despite its flaws. latestnetflix.com's take is that however, the story feels underdeveloped, with predictable twists and a lack of depth in supporting characters, leaving many feeling it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential.
What viewers praise
- Strong lead performances Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo bring intensity and charisma, making their characters compelling even when the script falters.
- Fast-paced action The film moves quickly, with well-choreographed fight scenes and a relentless energy that keeps viewers hooked.
- Stylish direction Joe Lynch’s visual flair and tight editing give the movie a sleek, modern edge that elevates the material.
Common complaints
- Thin and predictable plot The story follows familiar action-thriller tropes without adding much originality, making it feel formulaic.
- Underdeveloped side characters Supporting roles, including Marcia Gay Harden’s, lack depth, reducing their impact on the narrative.
- Overly convoluted at times Some plot twists and conveniences strain believability, pulling viewers out of the experience.
Recommended for
Action thriller fans Anthony Mackie enthusiasts Fast-paced movie lovers Undemanding genre viewers
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsGrillo already had a sequel in his pocket
Three days after Netflix dropped Point Blank, Frank Grillo told Decider the WarParty camp was "already thinking of a story." He would not say what it was. He called a Mackie follow-up easier than a second Wheelman, because both of them were in the frame. latestnetflix.com's take is that the same sit-down had him laughing that Falcon still could not keep up with Crossbones.
That Marvel pairing was the sale. Variety confirmed the reunion on 22 June 2018. Joe Lynch would direct Adam G. Simon's script. Grillo and Joe Carnahan would produce under WarParty. Johanna Byer would produce for Gaumont. Collider had broken the exclusive a day earlier. SlashFilm printed the same pitch. Mackie is ER nurse Paul. Grillo is Abe, the wounded murder suspect. Abe's brother kidnaps Paul's pregnant wife and wants a trade. Dirty cops sit in the mix. 
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Cincinnati got six weeks and a car-wash fight
Film Cincinnati put cameras on the street from 6 August 2018. The AP said crews would stay about six weeks. WCPO caught Lynch tweeting a still from Mad Max: Fury Road on day one. The night before, the Point Blank family binge-watched The Last Dragon, Big Trouble in Little China, and Road Warrior at the Video Archive bar in Walnut Hills. Mackie posted a cigar across from Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse. ,
Marcia Gay Harden joined in late July as Lt. Lewis, with Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver, and Markice Moore. Variety called Harden's booking exclusive. Christian Cooke landed on 8 August as Mateo, Grillo's brother and the kidnapper. Byer told local press the story would be set in Cincinnati, not a fake city wearing Ohio streets. , ,
Gaumont walked in with a French hit
Grillo told Decider the producer credit was real work. "Those aren't vanity titles! We produced the entire film." Gaumont, which made Fred Cavaye's 2010 Point Blank, originally titled A bout portant, asked WarParty to remake it for a global audience. "Right from the very beginning, we were thinking Anthony Mackie." They had met on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. A ghost story about men back from Iraq fell apart first. Grillo called Mackie family. In post, Lynch's group leaned into an homage to 1980s action thrillers. ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIMJ0_S-x40
JoBlo, citing Collider, put the budget around $12 million. Working Title and Mark Wahlberg had already tried the same remake in 2012. A Korean version, The Target, existed in 2014. Netflix still took the English one. The official trailer landed 20 June 2019. FirstShowing flagged the car-wash brawl at the end of the cut. The film streamed on 12 July. TMDB lists 1 hour 26 minutes. Grillo also volunteered Wheelman numbers Netflix had shown him. A $5.5 million job that 23 or 25 million people watched start to finish. Reviews still stung. "They do get a little mean sometimes," he said. "But I'll find them!" , , , , ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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