Omar Killed Me

Inspired by true events, Omar Killed Me follows the title character (Sami Bouajila’s Omar Raddad) as he’s sent to prison for murdering his employer – with the film subsequently detailing both Omar’s exploits and the ongoing efforts of a notorious crusader (Denis Podalydès’ Pierre-Emmanuel Vaugrenard) at proving Omar’s innocence. There’s little doubt that the unusual narrative structure employed by scripters Olivier Gorce and Roschdy Zem does take some getting used to, as Omar Killed Me unfolds in two separate time periods – with Omar’s activities occurring a few years before Pierre-Emmanuel’s investigation. The inherently compelling nature of the movie’s premise does prove instrumental in initially capturing one’s interest, however, and there’s ultimately little doubt that Omar Killed Me fares best in its comparatively fresh opening half hour. It’s only as the movie progresses that the viewer’s interest begins to wane, with the continuing emphasis on Pierre-Emmanuel’s increasingly tedious investigation triggering the movie’s downfall. The pervasively routine atmosphere – this does, after all, resemble a garden-variety police procedural at times – effectively diminishes the strength of the prison scenes, and it’s worth noting, too, that the story’s true-life origins contribute heavily to the film’s underwhelming, strangely flat sensibilities (ie would there even be a movie if Omar hadn’t been released from prison?) It’s finally impossible to label Omar Killed Me as anything more than a well-intentioned misfire, with the periodic inclusion of admittedly engrossing sequences (eg Omar’s heartfelt encounter with his father) ensuring that the film never quite becomes the tedious endeavor one might’ve expected.

** out of ****