Franck Lazareff, a former elite special forces officer, has his home invaded, his wife kidnapped, and he is framed for a colleague’s murder. To find out why these things are happening, new French thriller Ad Vitam jumps back a full decade to fill in the narrative gaps at set up a pulse-pounding climax. The film is directed by Rodolphe Lauga, and stars Guillaume Canet in the lead role, and made its debut straight to Netflix this week. It is the first major release of 2025, and it is kind of a weird one.

It is the structure that makes it weird, not the story. The first act suggests a non-stop violent free-for-all best suited to starring Liam Neeson in full-blown “certain skills” mode. It has tense moments, a couple of brutal fist fights, and a typical set-up of aggrieved veteran, missing wife, threatening villain, and a fast-approaching deadline. The only thing it is missing is context, and that is where the second act comes in.

What initially seems a brief flashback to reveal how Franck and his heavily pregnant wife Leo (Stéphane Caillard) first met winds up filling the majority of the film. A group of supporting characters are introduced, relationships are forged and fleshed out, and the reasons for Franck’s crisis become clear. By the time the film jumps back to the present day, it becomes clear that what was initially an in-media-res first act was in fact the beginning of the climax. Ad Vitam does not waste time, either: once events jump back to the start the film could easily have stretched for well over an hour. Instead the whole enterprise is done and dusted within 95 minutes. Despite the non-linear structure, Ad Vitam tells a highly conventional story. It is important that it does not outlast its welcome, because without too many original ideas that welcome does not last quite as long.

Canet plays his role well, although like most dramatic actors in action films there is a definite sense that he is not working to full capacity. He also contributes to its screenplay, alongside Lauga and David Corona. Technically the film has more than its fair share of made-for-television scrappiness, but with slightly generous expectations it presents a broadly enjoyable January diversion. Certainly there is more dramatic meat to the bones than one might expect, and a political edge that – while underdeveloped – does make it feel a little more than by-the-numbers genre content.

Stéphane Caillard is a stand-out, and well supported by the script. Leo is presented from the outset as Franck’s equal. Flashbacks show her to be a competent professional in a male-dominated squad. The film’s later action scenes show her very capable of defending herself without Franck’s intervention. It is good to see, and should not feel as unusual as it does.

There are better films, and there are worse ones. This is rock-solid stuff: entertaining, a little more than lowest-common-denominated entertainment, and an early-year refreshment after all the typical award contenders of the holiday season.