Running Time: 99 Minutes
Starring: Saïd Boumazoughe, Achmed Akkabi, Jamal Ben Saddik, Clara Cleymans, Imanuelle Grives
Following his feature debut, Trizombie, director Bob Colaers brings to screen an action focused follow-up in the Attack on Paradise. The film opens on the streets, as Suleyman (Saïd Boumazoughe) is nearly hit by a police car while using a zebra crossing. The officers soon exert their authority by racially profiling the pedestrian, conducting a forcible search, and throwing away the pills his mum needs. Reacting by fighting back, life changes in an instant when an accident ends one officer's life.
After seven-years in prison, Suleyman is released with a determination to have a fresh start, and reconnect with his mum. However, he soon discovers that his home in the Paradise apartment complex has been taken over by gangs and drug dealers, all under the leadership of Prince (Achmed Akkabi). Interrupting Suleyman's return is a police raid of Paradise, leaving the ex-con caught in the violence and intent on keeping his mother safe.
Following his incarceration for killing a cop, Suleyman discovers that he has become a legend on the block. The last thing that he wants is to be well-regarded for his deepest regret, particularly when it has strained his relationship with his mother. As the situation grows dangerous on the block, the last thing that Suleyman wants is to be part of the unfolding violence. But, his conscience won't let him turn a blind eye, leaving him to team up with rookie cop Yasmin (Clara Cleymans) and retake Paradise floor by floor.
This puts him on a collision with the drug lord currently known as Prince, who rules the block with a nasty history and brutal underlings. He also disarms the residents with a friendly facade, to act as a vicious bastard hiding in plain sight, until their transgressions leave him to tear off the kindly mask. He rules from the building's top level, with a different boss residing on each floor to bring alive the fascinating idea of a video-game style ascension.
Conducting the raid is a trigger-happy SWAT team, ready to shoot the opposition before they even notice the team. As their arrival involves a show of force, Suleyman committing self-defence leaves him threatened with prison for assaulting police. But where is the police's punishment for harming innocent civilians trapped within the block? It feels like an indictment of how blood-thirsty bullies can hide behind a badge, but this interesting element does wrap up too quickly.
As the film unfolds with a brawler focus and a techno soundtrack, it wants to be the Dutch answer to The Raid. However, it falls short in the most vital area to warrant this comparison; the action. The potential is there from the opening kick, but that disappears as the lacklustre CGI blood and the increasingly choppy editing leave the fight scenes with little impact. It all feels weightless, and that is no more true than how the brutal kills struggle to impress. A scene involving a knife should be the standout kill, but the execution lets it down, leaving you more likely to shake your head instead of fist pump. As a result, Attack on Paradise falls short of the action extravaganza which one hopes for.
Attack on Paradise made its World Premiere at Fantasia Festival 2026
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