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Dispatched to the French colony of new Caledonia to solve a hostage crisis, crack negotiator – and writer/ director – Mathieu Kassovitz finds himself in the middle of a sweaty stalemate.

The local freedom fighters want independence, the army wants them dead, and French politicians want it over.

Book-ended by thrilling combat sequences, this tragic true story is absorbing, but let down by two crucial flaws.

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At a compassion-sapping 136 minutes, it’s far too long, and Kassovitz’s characterless central turn makes a worthy personal statement veer close to vanity project.

Matt Glasby is a freelance film and TV journalist. You can find his work on Total Film - in print and online - as well as at publications like the Radio Times, Channel 4, DVD REview, Flicks, GQ, Hotdog, Little White Lies, and SFX, among others. He is also the author of several novels, including The Book of Horror: The Anatomy of Fear in Film and Britpop Cinema: From Trainspotting To This Is England.