‘Wingwomen’ Review – A Breakout Turn By Adèle Exarchopoulos

The French Netflix action film Wingwomen (Voleuses) is estrogen-fueled, and all the better for it. This is the seventh feature film with star Mélanie Laurent behind the camera. The Inglourious Basterds star has a natural eye for stylized action sequences while allowing the characters to breathe. The script is peppered with light humor, particularly from a breakout performance by Adèle Exarchopoulos. This is a buddy picture about the enduring strength of the female bond that stays strong throughout the film’s 100-minute running time.

Wingwomen follows two highly trained thieves, Carole (Laurent) and Alex (Exarchopoulos), who have been best friends and each other’s support system for the longest time. After completing their latest mission for their boss, a crime boss known as “The Godmother” (Isabelle Adjani), Carole learns she’s pregnant. She then decides she needs to retire to start her own family.

As you watch Carole and Alex in action, you know this is the safe (and sane) choice. Their audacious antics and dangerous methods put them at risk for severe injury or death with every hair-raising maneuver. So, will the Godmother give Carole the gold watch? Well, crime bosses do what they do and force Carole’s hand, threatening the lives of Alex and just plain random strangers in front of the mother-to-be.

Carole agrees to do one last job, stealing a valuable painting that is the jewel of their boss’s eye. That also means Carole needs more support than Alex can provide. While she’s an expert with a gun and hand-to-hand combat, her driving skills have a particular carefree style that lends itself to safety concerns. So, Carole recruits Sam (Manon Bresch), a tenacious race car driver who was just fired from her position.

Wingwomen is based on the French comics of the same name by Jérôme Mulot, Florent Ruppert, and Bastien Vives. Adapted for the silver screen (or, in this case, your cell phone) by Cédric Anger (Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart) and Christophe Deslandes (The Mad Woman’s Ball), Laurent’s film is fun, action-packed, and thoroughly enjoyable. In particular, the greatest enjoyment comes from the chemistry between the leads. Laurent and Exarchopoulos have an infectious banter and playful sparring that makes them feel like old friends. You can feel the sisterhood between them, transitioning from comic relief to some unexpected poignancy, even adding to the drama and suspense when Wingwomen settles into its third act.

The script also focuses on the other end of that bond when friendship is forced instead of growing organically. In the case of Adjani’s Godmother, she uses manipulation and fear and wields power and control over Laurent’s Carole. As the story progresses, you begin to sense that Adjani’s character isn’t just afraid of losing her best employee. Her only human connection is Carole when there’s nothing human about it.

While Laurent offers a stylish, steady hand in her direction, Exarchopoulos has the pleasure of soaking up every delicious line. The character of Alex is not just comic relief but fully three-dimensional. Alex is funny, intelligent, and abrasive. Her attitude is blunt and to the point, but she can be empathetic. She’s also tough but so codependent that she falls in love with the first guy who catches her eye almost immediately. Exarchopoulos is the best part of a picture brimming with positive attributes.

There was a concern during the film’s amusing opening sequence that Wingwomen would enter The Big Hit territory, treating the dangers of the job as a farce and an uneven bleeding of genres that wouldn’t work. Not to mention, the film’s twist towards the end of the third act, frankly, is entirely unneeded, if not overtly manipulative. While that may ruin the experience for some, Wingwomen is an entertaining caper with heart and captivating performances. The French comic book adaptation is sure to become a franchise for the streaming giant for years to come.

Wingwomen is currently available to stream on Netflix. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au9Uz4_H6zA]