# Point Blank (2019 film)
**Point Blank** is a 2019 American action thriller directed by Joe Lynch, written by Adam G. Simon, and released as a Netflix original film on July 12, 2019. It is a remake of the 2010 French film *À bout portant* (released in English as *Point Blank*) by Fred Cavayé, and it stars [Anthony Mackie](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-mackie), Frank Grillo, and [Marcia Gay Harden](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcia-gay-harden).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019) • [2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/point-blank-2019)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Joe Lynch; screenplay by Adam G. Simon, based on the 2010 film by Fred Cavayé and Guillaume Lemans[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2499472/fullcredits/) |
| Release | Netflix streaming release, July 12, 2019; no theatrical box office run[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Point-Blank-%282019%29) |
| Runtime / rating | 86 minutes; Not Rated by the MPA, TV-MA on Netflix[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Point-Blank-%282019%29) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/point-blank-2019) |
| Lead cast | Anthony Mackie (Paul), Frank Grillo (Abe), Marcia Gay Harden (Lt. Lewis), Teyonah Parris (Taryn)[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019/cast-and-crew) |
| Setting | Cincinnati, Ohio, where the entire film was shot[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2499472/) |
| Reception | 41% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (34 reviews) and 30% on the audience Popcornmeter; 5.7/10 on IMDb from about 17,000 votes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/point-blank-2019) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Paul, an ER nurse, must team with Abe, a badly injured career criminal and murder suspect under his care, when Paul's pregnant wife Taryn is kidnapped and held as collateral. The two are pitted against rival gangs and a deadly ring of corrupt cops as they race to save Paul's wife and unborn child.[8](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80221677) The story is set in [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati), presented for the story's purposes as a city teeming with crime and police corruption.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/point-blank)
## Production
The film was produced by Johanna Byer, Joe Carnahan, and [Frank Grillo](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-grillo).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019) Adam G. Simon wrote it as an action thriller for Gaumont Films, Warparty, and Netflix, based on Fred Cavayé's film; the executive producers were Sidonie Dumas, Scott Putman, Christophe Riandee, and Gene Stein.[10](https://www.nfi.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/20201121-NFI-Catalog2.pdf) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019/cast-and-crew) Juan Miguel Azpiroz was the cinematographer, Mitch Lee composed the score, and Jim Page edited.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019/cast-and-crew) The entire film was shot in Cincinnati, Ohio.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2499472/) Brian Tallerico, managing editor of RogerEbert.com, notes that producer [Joe Carnahan](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-carnahan), director of *Narc*, brings a gritty, macho energy to the production alongside Lynch's handling of lean action sequences.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/point-blank-2019)
## The source film and its remakes
Fred Cavayé's 2010 French action film *À bout portant* was such an international hit that it has been remade around the world. Besides the American version, adaptations include a South Korean version titled *The Target* and a Bangla remake titled *Password*; the simplicity of the premise, an ordinary man forced to help a wounded stranger in exchange for his kidnapped wife, is what has attracted producers repeatedly.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/point-blank-2019) The 2019 film shares its English title with [John Boorman](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-boorman)'s 1967 film *[Point Blank](https://www.edgepedia.org/point-blank-1967-film)*, which is unrelated; that film was based on Richard Stark's novel *The Hunter*.[11](https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/9132-point-blank-a-dream-of-full-color-noir)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to negative. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus states that the film has its reasonably diverting moments but that its high energy and fast-paced action cannot disguise the remake's frustratingly middling storytelling; the Tomatometer stood at 41% from 34 reviews, with a 30% audience score from more than 100 ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019) On IMDb the film holds a 5.7 rating from about 17,000 votes.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/point-blank-2019)
**Individual reviews.** Brian Tallerico gave the film two stars, writing that the first half moves and hums but the film loses momentum and limps across the finish line with a climax that does not work, noting that the credits roll around the 80-minute mark of the short running time.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/point-blank-2019) The Guardian's Benjamin Lee gave it 2 out of 5, and the AV Club's Ignatiy Vishnevetsky graded it C, writing that the film mostly runs on the fumes of its chase-movie formula.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019) NME's Howard Gorman took a more favorable view, writing that Lynch makes Cavayé's source material his own through a frenetic directing style and savvy script changes while following the original's narrative fairly closely.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019)
## Availability
The film streams on Netflix, where it is available in 4K with [Dolby Vision](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-vision) and [Dolby Atmos](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-atmos), and in the United States it can also be watched free with ads on [The Roku Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roku-channel).[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/point-blank-2019) FlickFinder lists it as streaming on Netflix in 131 countries.[12](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/point-blank-2019-531503)
## References
1. [Point Blank (2019), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019)
2. [Point Blank movie review, RogerEbert.com (Brian Tallerico, July 12, 2019)](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/point-blank-2019)
3. [Point Blank (2019) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2499472/fullcredits/)
4. [Point Blank (2019), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Point-Blank-%282019%29)
5. [Point Blank (2019) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/point-blank-2019)
6. [Point Blank cast and crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank_2019/cast-and-crew)
7. [Point Blank (2019), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2499472/)
8. [Point Blank, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80221677)
9. [Point Blank parents' guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/point-blank)
10. [NFI Catalog (2021), entry on Adam G. Simon](https://www.nfi.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/20201121-NFI-Catalog2.pdf)
11. [Point Blank: A Dream of Full-Color Noir, The Criterion Collection (Geoff Dyer)](https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/9132-point-blank-a-dream-of-full-color-noir)
12. [Where to watch Point Blank (2019), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/point-blank-2019-531503)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2010s › Crime and vigilante thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license