June 2, 2025

🎬 Movie Review: Rogue City (2020) – In a City of Wolves, Justice Has No Badge
Starring Lannick Gautry, Stanislas Merhar, Jean Reno
Directed by Olivier Marchal

“When the law breaks itself… who do you trust with the gun?”

Rogue City isn’t just another cop thriller — it’s a dive into the shadows of Marseille, where every badge is bloodstained and every line between good and evil has long since been crossed. Brutal, brooding, and unapologetically bleak, this crime saga reimagines loyalty, corruption, and survival in a world where justice is a fading myth.

Lannick Gautry leads as Richard Vronski, a hardened officer in an elite anti-gang unit walking a razor’s edge between the law and total collapse. His eyes carry the weight of too many bad choices, and his fists speak louder than his words. Gautry delivers a performance full of quiet rage and volcanic restraint — a man who knows the system is rigged, but keeps fighting anyway.

Jean Reno makes a welcome appearance as a retired police legend with secrets buried beneath every scar. He brings a grizzled gravitas that elevates every scene he’s in. His final moment? A masterclass in old-school cool.

Director Olivier Marchal — a former cop himself — drenches the film in atmosphere. Rain-slicked streets, dim-lit interrogation rooms, and thumping nightclubs become battlegrounds for loyalty and betrayal. The film’s color palette of cold blues and steely greys reflects a moral world stripped of warmth.

Gunfights are gritty, chaotic, and grounded — no slow motion, just the raw chaos of survival. The most harrowing scene? A raid gone sideways, where bullets fly and silence afterward says more than any dialogue could.

And yet, beneath the bullets and broken bones, Rogue City is a tragedy — a story of men who wanted to make a difference, only to drown in the same corruption they tried to fight.

Final Verdict:
Rogue City is a hard-hitting, morally grey, and beautifully brutal descent into urban warfare. A must-watch for fans of Sicario, Heat, or The Departed — but with a French heartbeat and a dirtier soul.
In Marseille, you either break the rules… or the rules break you.