OVERVIEW
Seven years in prison, along with meditation books, made Suleyman (Saïd Boumazoughe) a changed man. His reputation precedes him; once a ruthless and feared fighter, he now wants to make right with his mother while avoiding violence. The problem is that during his incarceration, the tower block she lives in, Paradise, was taken over by drug lord Prince Hamza (Achmed Akkabi), and the police raid it on the very day he sets out to buy her insulin. He ends up trapped between both sides.
BACKGROUND
Premiering at Fantasia 2026, where it was programmed as the “exhilarating ass-kicker” of the festival, Attack on Paradise grew out of actor and co-writer Saïd Boumazoughe’s desire for an action lead who looked like him, an ordinary Moroccan-Belgian man whose powers come from within rather than a privileged upbringing. Director Bob Colaers, making his second feature, embraced the idea, aiming for an action film that felt as authentic as possible.
THE REVIEW
The film doesn’t escape the shadow of The Raid, Die Hard, John Wick, and Dredd, with many scenes instantly recalling those films, including the way the protagonist is positioned and, later, the way the plot moves through the usual ascension structure. The authentic angle that Boumazoughe and Colaers strive for cuts both ways. The protagonist feels more human and vulnerable than we’re used to in this kind of movie, but the action is less exciting and ultimately less memorable.
It does an effective job establishing the pieces, taking its time to introduce the world and its characters. It sets Suleyman up well as a once-dangerous man who is determined to do good, and anticipation builds as the characters recognize that it is the infamous ‘Suleyman’ (great name, by the way) standing before them. His reuniting scene with his mother feels true in ways that action films rarely do, capturing the pain of a family broken apart for too long. Prince is little more than a generic drug lord watching from his monitors, while Clara Cleymans’s rookie officer Yasmine gets a scene with her daughter that makes us connect with her instantly.
Where the film doesn’t quite use these building blocks is on what should have been the central attraction: the action itself. Sound editing does a lot of the work, making punches and hits land harder than what we see on screen. The fights avoid shaky cameras and frantic editing, making the action easy to follow. But that only makes it clearer how the choreography is serviceable at best. There are promising ideas that could have become memorable set pieces, such as a fight on a pool table or occasionally subjective POVs, but neither the environment nor the cinematography is ever taken to the next level.
Worst is the hand-to-hand combat, especially in the climactic showdown, where we watch in slow motion as the protagonist dodges punches with precise dodgeball movements. Once in a while, you’ll find yourself distracted by digital blood too. The setpiece that works best is the one that avoids direct combat altogether: an elevator-shaft escape, appropriately tense and well-paced (even if its conclusion earns a few unintentional laughs too).
The human elements work, and we come to care for Boumazoughe’s Suleyman, who does better in that register but never quite convinces us that he was once a feared warrior. For all the build-up to his character, when we get to see what he is capable of, you can’t help but feel, ‘Is that it?’
FINAL THOUGHTS
Attack on Paradise is competent but unremarkable, violent but never quite visceral. It’s the more human elements that ground the story well, but the protagonist doesn’t do justice to the reputation the film builds for a killing machine whose name alone instills fear in the most seasoned killers. At 96 minutes, it entertains just enough and never outstays its welcome, but little of it stays with you afterward.