Ad Vitam (2025)
Movie · 2025 · Thriller, Drama, Crime, Action · 1h 37m · R · French
Curator score: 0.7/10 (31.8K ratings)
When he and his pregnant wife are attacked in their home, a former elite agent becomes trapped in a deadly manhunt tied to his own painful past.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 0.7/10
- IMDb: 5.9/10
- Letterboxd: 2.49/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 43%
- Metacritic: 40
- TMDB: 6.2/10
Director: Rodolphe Lauga
Production: Les Films du Cap
Cast: Guillaume Canet, Alexis Manenti, Stéphane Caillard, Nassim Lyes, Zita Hanrot, Johan Heldenbergh, Etienne Guillou-Kervern, Jamel Blissat, Maurice Chan, Laurent Merillon, Marcel Canet
Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict: A familiar man-on-the-run thriller with a home-invasion hook and some chase-movie momentum, but it sounds overstuffed with flashbacks, thinly developed stakes, and generic action staging. The audience response suggests a few effective set pieces, yet not enough originality or tension to justify the runtime.
Best for: Viewers who want a straightforward French action-thriller on streaming; Fans of home-invasion-to-manhunt setups; People who don’t mind familiar plotting if the pace is brisk
Skip if: You want inventive action choreography; You dislike long flashback-heavy setups; You’re looking for a tightly written thriller with strong suspense; Shaky-cam combat and generic cops-and-guns stories turn you off
Overview: Ad Vitam has the bones of a solid pulp thriller: a violent home invasion, a former elite operative, a pregnant wife in danger, and a conspiracy that pushes the hero into a desperate run. That premise can work very well when the film commits to momentum and escalation.
Worth noting: Here, though, the response points to a movie that spends too long explaining itself before it starts delivering the chase-and-survival material viewers came for. The flashback structure seems to flatten urgency, and the action is described as functional rather than memorable.
Bottom line: There are likely a few tense moments and enough competence to keep it from collapsing entirely, but it sounds like a case where the setup is more interesting than the execution. If you’re in the mood for a disposable streaming thriller, it may pass the time; if you want a sharp, propulsive action film, there are better options.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- erikazavaleta: Imagine ur shot, bleeding out, giving birth, dying in the back seat of the car, you look up at the sky and ur husbands in a hang glider
- TheFreshBeef: Have you ever seen a movie with cops and guns?
...yea?
Well then you know exactly what's going on here.
- aureldmt: Une scène a été tournée dans un Buffalo Grill et ils n’ont même pas parlé du fait qu’ils aient remplacé les haricots rouges par de la macédoine dans la salade d’accueil.
Pour montrer de manière réaliste le GIGN y a du monde, mais pour parler des vrais drames y a plus personne.
- Mister Cap: ENGLISH VERSION below
„Ad Vitam“ beginnt vielversprechend: Ex-Eliteagent Franck und seine schwangere Frau Léo stehen im Fadenkreuz mysteriöser Feinde, und eine brutale Wohnungsattacke setzt den Startschuss für eine Geschichte voller… Rückblenden. Statt mitten ins Geschehen einzutauchen, schaltet der Film in den Erklärmodus und springt zehn Jahre zurück. Was folgt, ist weniger Action und mehr die Lebensgeschichte von Franck und Léo: Kennenlernen, Polizeischule, Teambuilding, Anti-Terror-Abteilung – alles da, nur keine wirkliche Spannung.
Die eigentlichen Actionmomente? Selten und leider unspektakulär. Statt Adrenalin… more
- Kinney: I really need to stop watching whatever is “#1 in movies today” on Netflix, they always suck. Nobody is actually watching these!
Recommended similar titles:
- The Bourne Identity (2002 · Action, Drama, Mystery · 1h 59m · PG-13 · Curator 6.5/10 (1.1M ratings))
A benchmark for the amnesiac/man-on-the-run thriller, with cleaner momentum and stronger chase mechanics.
- Taken (2008 · Action, Thriller · 1h 34m · PG-13 · Curator 4.1/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential)
Shares the urgent rescue premise and lean, propulsive revenge-thriller energy.
- The Fugitive (1993 · Action, Thriller, Drama · 2h 11m · PG-13 · Curator 8.4/10 (625.3K ratings))
A classic wrong-man pursuit movie that keeps the pressure on from start to finish.
- The Equalizer (2014 · Thriller, Action, Crime · 2h 12m · R · Curator 3.8/10 (849.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
For viewers who want a competent, no-nonsense vigilante thriller with clear stakes and efficient action.
- Man on Fire (2004 · Action, Drama, Thriller · 2h 26m · R · Curator 4.8/10 (644K ratings) · Where to watch: AMC+, Philo)
More emotionally charged and stylistically confident, with a strong protective-father energy.
- Collateral (2004 · Drama, Crime, Thriller · 2h · R · Curator 7.3/10 (951.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Starz, Philo)
A tense urban thriller that turns a night-long ride into a sustained pressure cooker.
- Sicario (2015 · Action, Crime, Thriller · 2h 2m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (1.5M ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu)
A better option for viewers drawn to state power, covert operations, and oppressive tension.
- A History of Violence (2005 · Drama, Thriller, Crime · 1h 36m · R · Curator 6.9/10 (549.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
Explores the return of a violent past into domestic life with sharper character work.
- The Raid (2012 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 41m · R · Curator 8.2/10 (503.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu)
For pure action efficiency and escalating survival stakes, it is far more thrilling.
- The Raid 2 (2014 · Action, Crime, Thriller · 2h 30m · R · Curator 8.2/10 (273.9K ratings))
A bigger, more elaborate crime-action follow-up with stronger set-piece ambition.
- Heat (1995 · Crime, Drama, Action · 2h 50m · R · Curator 9.3/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
A masterclass in professional criminals, police pursuit, and procedural tension.
- The Town (2010 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · 2h 5m · R · Curator 6.5/10 (803K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
A crime thriller that balances heists, pursuit, and personal stakes more effectively.
Topics: thriller, action, crime, manhunt, home invasion, pregnancy, conspiracy, French cinema, flashbacks, streaming original
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/ad-vitam/1261501
Ad Vitam (2025)
Movie · 2025 · Thriller, Drama, Crime, Action · 1h 37m · R · French
Curator score: 0.7/10 (31.8K ratings)
Overview When he and his pregnant wife are attacked in their home, a former elite agent becomes trapped in a deadly manhunt tied to his own painful past.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.7/10
IMDb: 5.9/10
Letterboxd: 2.49/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 43%
Metacritic: 40
TMDB: 6.2/10
Production Les Films du Cap
Cast Guillaume Canet, Alexis Manenti, Stéphane Caillard, Nassim Lyes, Zita Hanrot, Johan Heldenbergh, Etienne Guillou-Kervern, Jamel Blissat, Maurice Chan, Laurent Merillon, Marcel Canet
Where to watch Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A familiar man-on-the-run thriller with a home-invasion hook and some chase-movie momentum, but it sounds overstuffed with flashbacks, thinly developed stakes, and generic action staging. The audience response suggests a few effective set pieces, yet not enough originality or tension to justify the runtime.
Best for
Viewers who want a straightforward French action-thriller on streaming
Fans of home-invasion-to-manhunt setups
People who don’t mind familiar plotting if the pace is brisk
Skip if
You want inventive action choreography
You dislike long flashback-heavy setups
You’re looking for a tightly written thriller with strong suspense
Shaky-cam combat and generic cops-and-guns stories turn you off
Overview
Ad Vitam has the bones of a solid pulp thriller: a violent home invasion, a former elite operative, a pregnant wife in danger, and a conspiracy that pushes the hero into a desperate run. That premise can work very well when the film commits to momentum and escalation.
Worth noting
Here, though, the response points to a movie that spends too long explaining itself before it starts delivering the chase-and-survival material viewers came for. The flashback structure seems to flatten urgency, and the action is described as functional rather than memorable.
Bottom line
There are likely a few tense moments and enough competence to keep it from collapsing entirely, but it sounds like a case where the setup is more interesting than the execution. If you’re in the mood for a disposable streaming thriller, it may pass the time; if you want a sharp, propulsive action film, there are better options.
Top Letterboxd reviews
erikazavaleta (2.5★) · 276 likes
Imagine ur shot, bleeding out, giving birth, dying in the back seat of the car, you look up at the sky and ur husbands in a hang glider
TheFreshBeef (2.5★) · 190 likes
Have you ever seen a movie with cops and guns?
...yea?
Well then you know exactly what's going on here.
aureldmt (2★) · 120 likes
Une scène a été tournée dans un Buffalo Grill et ils n’ont même pas parlé du fait qu’ils aient remplacé les haricots rouges par de la macédoine dans la salade d’accueil.
Pour montrer de manière réaliste le GIGN y a du monde, mais pour parler des vrais drames y a plus personne.
Mister Cap (2.5★) · 115 likes
ENGLISH VERSION below
„Ad Vitam“ beginnt vielversprechend: Ex-Eliteagent Franck und seine schwangere Frau Léo stehen im Fadenkreuz mysteriöser Feinde, und eine brutale Wohnungsattacke setzt den Startschuss für eine Geschichte voller… Rückblenden. Statt mitten ins Geschehen einzutauchen, schaltet der Film in den Erklärmodus und springt zehn Jahre zurück. Was folgt, ist weniger Action und mehr die Lebensgeschichte von Franck und Léo: Kennenlernen, Polizeischule, Teambuilding, Anti-Terror-Abteilung – alles da, nur keine wirkliche Spannung.
Die eigentlichen Actionmomente? Selten und leider unspektakulär. Statt Adrenalin… more
Kinney (0.5★) · 99 likes
I really need to stop watching whatever is “#1 in movies today” on Netflix, they always suck. Nobody is actually watching these!
Recommended similar titles
2002 · Action, Drama, Mystery · 1h 59m · PG-13 · Curator 6.5/10 (1.1M ratings)
A benchmark for the amnesiac/man-on-the-run thriller, with cleaner momentum and stronger chase mechanics.
2008 · Action, Thriller · 1h 34m · PG-13 · Curator 4.1/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Shares the urgent rescue premise and lean, propulsive revenge-thriller energy.
1993 · Action, Thriller, Drama · 2h 11m · PG-13 · Curator 8.4/10 (625.3K ratings)
A classic wrong-man pursuit movie that keeps the pressure on from start to finish.
2014 · Thriller, Action, Crime · 2h 12m · R · Curator 3.8/10 (849.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For viewers who want a competent, no-nonsense vigilante thriller with clear stakes and efficient action.
2004 · Action, Drama, Thriller · 2h 26m · R · Curator 4.8/10 (644K ratings) · Where to watch: AMC+, Philo
More emotionally charged and stylistically confident, with a strong protective-father energy.
2004 · Drama, Crime, Thriller · 2h · R · Curator 7.3/10 (951.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Starz, Philo
A tense urban thriller that turns a night-long ride into a sustained pressure cooker.
2015 · Action, Crime, Thriller · 2h 2m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (1.5M ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
A better option for viewers drawn to state power, covert operations, and oppressive tension.
2005 · Drama, Thriller, Crime · 1h 36m · R · Curator 6.9/10 (549.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
Explores the return of a violent past into domestic life with sharper character work.
2012 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 41m · R · Curator 8.2/10 (503.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
For pure action efficiency and escalating survival stakes, it is far more thrilling.
2014 · Action, Crime, Thriller · 2h 30m · R · Curator 8.2/10 (273.9K ratings)
A bigger, more elaborate crime-action follow-up with stronger set-piece ambition.
1995 · Crime, Drama, Action · 2h 50m · R · Curator 9.3/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A masterclass in professional criminals, police pursuit, and procedural tension.
2010 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · 2h 5m · R · Curator 6.5/10 (803K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A crime thriller that balances heists, pursuit, and personal stakes more effectively.
Topics
thriller, action, crime, manhunt, home invasion, pregnancy, conspiracy, French cinema, flashbacks, streaming original
Open Ad Vitam (2025) on Curator TV