Razzia: A Dusty Rescue Mission That Feels Like a Time Capsule

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for silent-era rescue tropes or really, really love desert cinematography. If you are looking for modern pacing or tight storytelling, you will probably hate this. It is slow. Like, 'watch the sand settle' slow.

The whole premise is just a kidnapping and a chase. That is it. No big twists, no secret agendas. Just a sheik trying to get his girl back.

The film feels very much like a cousin to something like The White Pearl, but with more sand and fewer pearls. It has that same sort of stiff, theatrical movement where everyone looks like they are posing for a camera that is taking a really long time to expose the film.

Odd little things

There is a moment about halfway through where the bandit just… stands there. He is looking off-screen for a solid ten seconds while the music swells. It is supposed to be intense, I guess? But it just made me wonder if he forgot his lines or if he was just really thirsty.

The acting is very expressive. Leila Atouna does a lot with her eyes, but she spends so much time looking terrified that I started feeling a bit anxious myself. It is all very dramatic. Sometimes, it feels like the movie is trying a bit too hard to be taken seriously as an epic, but it is really just a small, scrappy story.

• The desert shots are actually kind of beautiful.
• The costumes look like they were pulled straight from a theater wardrobe department.
• Jean Viguier is definitely acting his heart out, even if the script gives him basically nothing to work with.

It lacks the punch of The House of Intrigue, mostly because it never really builds any momentum. It’s just people walking around, looking concerned, and occasionally riding horses. It’s not necessarily bad, just… thin.

I caught myself checking my watch. Twice. There is a scene involving a campfire that goes on for a bit too long, and you can almost feel the director hoping the smoke would look more mystical than it actually does. 🏜️

If you like movies that feel like a dusty old photo album, this is fine. If you want something that actually moves, maybe skip it. It's a curiosity, nothing more.