Fantasia Film Festival 2026 – Attack On Paradise proves that the action genre is very much alive. I mean no offense here, but as basic as the story is, with bad guys doing bad things, good guys looking for redemption, and innocents in the crossfire, the movie works. That is because director Bob Colaers takes the solid script from screenwriters Saïd Boumazoughe, Sven Huybrechts, and Salahdine Ibnou Kacemi, and crafts an lurid action thriller pulsing with chaotic life. It borders on guilty pleasure, but man, so much fun.
Suleyman (Saïd Boumazoughe) is just released from prison, desperate to return to his mother, Fatma’s (Fatima Khanfour) home to make amends. Unfortunately her high rise apartment building has become the fortress of a ruthless crime kingpin known as Prince (Achmed Akkabi). With Fatma’s health failing, Suleyman hopes to convince his mother to leave her home, not to mention her seedy, dangerous landlord. The contrite prodigal son returns to save his mom, but she needs her insulin before she slips into a coma.
That’s just about the time that a police raid the fortress. Among them is rookie officer Yasmine (Clara Cleymans.) A single mom who is heading straight into the lion’s den Yasmine has sent her daughter off to school for the day, only to arrive at work for a perilous assignment while fending off sexism in the police force. Yes, all of the stereotypes are there, but it’s played straight, with a knowing, sardonic tone that allows us to enjoy the pulpy fun.
So, eventually Suleyman the and Yasmine cross paths in the labyrinthian high rise. Yasmine wants to complete her mission and get the bad guy. Suleyman wants to save his mom and get her out of the building. That’s our Macguffin. The two unlikely allies form an alliance to make their way through every level of the highrise to save mom and stop the bad guy. That’s when all hell breaks loose in the best way.
Boumazoughe, who co-writes and stars in this wild actioner pretty much gives everything he has for the movie. While the script is unapologetically base, it knows what we are here for. Between shots of Boumazoughe showing off his impressive physique, and that pesky plot, we get brilliant fight choreography and impressive stunts. Editor Brian Ent grabs us by the hair and yanks us through merciless fight scenes while Steven Vanvolsem‘s visceral camera work spins and twirls following the gnarly combat. Cleymans, for her part, more than holds her own as the powerful woman in a man’s world. She keeps her character from slipping into caricature by humanizing her.
Still, I have to credit director Bob Colaers for understanding the assignment and delivering. In less perceptive hands, this script could have become ordinary, or even worse, a bad parody of itself. Colaers knew exactly what Attack On Paradise was and leaned into its delicious pleasures without insulting his audience.
Attack On Paradise is a Belgian Die Hard. Featuring a wildly talented international cast and crew, we are treated to a satisfying, if predictable action movie. I liked it for what it was, I loved it for the craft that made it.
