Broadcast last night on TF1, “The Devil’s Leap 2: the wolf trail” saw Philippe Bas put on Paul Vilar’s costume once again. Was the press drawn into this even more muscular sequel?
A year and a half after the broadcast of the first part, TF1 offered Le Saut du diable 2 last night: the trail of the wolves, the sequel to the action TV movie carried by Philippe Bas (Profiling) and Maïra Schmitt (Léo Matteï).
For the occasion, the interpreters of Paul and Sara Vilar were joined by a fine line-up of actors including Benjamin Baroche (Here it all begins), in the role of the big bad Mathias Caron, Sara Mortensen (Plus belle la vie, Astrid and Raphaëlle), Edouard Montoute, Jérôme Anger, Robin Migné (Skam France), Jean-Stan du Pac (Lies), Lorette Nyssen (School of Life), and Zoé Héran (Stalk).
Directed by Julien Seri, Le Saut du diable 2 sees the hero played by Philippe Bas, a former Special Forces officer, embark on an immersion in the great outdoors in the company of several teenagers, including his daughter, Sara.
Unfortunately, the bivouac soon turns into a nightmare when mercenaries land and take Sara and her comrades hostage. Confronted with a fearsome ghost from the past, Paul is forced to steal statuettes brought back from Yemen by an old acquaintance. Then begins for him a terrible and sensational race against the clock in the middle of a wild nature, in the hope of saving his daughter, the group, and his honor.
In terms of audiences, this sequel gathered 3.63 million viewers last night on TF1, for a market share of only 15% of women purchasing managers under 50 (FRDA-50).
Far from the 6.12 million curious people (26.7% of the FRDA-50) gathered in June 2021 in front of the first part of the adventures of Paul Vilar. Even if the competition was not the same since Le Sentier des loups was confronted yesterday with L’Amour est dans le pré on M6 and Diane de Poitiers on France 2.
Is this big drop due, in part, to the mixed reviews of this second part? Possible when you know that the French press has been quite mixed, calling both Le Saut du diable 2 a “superbly filmed” thriller and a “nanar”.
What the press think…
According to Le Parisien:
“The outdoor shots, whether in caves or on the water, are splendid. With this escape filmed sometimes at ground level, a mercenary tattooed with a trigger-happy scorpion, a Great Mute who creates avenging demons, this fiction takes on the air of a well-crafted thriller.” 3.5/5
Read the full review
According to Télé 7 Jours:
“Did you like Le Saut du diable? Here is the sequel… Once again, Philippe Bas in the role of a former elite soldier, converted into a high mountain guide, ensures the show! Everything is there: waterfalls, chases, fights… all superbly filmed in splendid natural settings.” 3.5/5
According to TV Star:
“Guaranteed action with Philippe Bas surrounded by excellent supporting roles.” 3.5/5
According to Télé Loisirs:
“Julien Seri directs this captivating fiction, shot in nature, whose screenplay was written by Tigran Rosine and Anastasia Heinzi. As for the actors, if Philippe Blas is in a role tailor-made for him, special mention to the promising Maïra Schmitt, who plays his daughter. In this first part, the plot is set up before offering action and suspense.” 3/5
According to TV Cable Sat:
“The scenario, of a rare indigence, piles up the clichés like a pro-army propaganda nanar.” 1/5
According to Telerama:
“A sentimental Rambo clad in the style of a Chuck Norris, with the images of Thalassa. Heartbreaking…” 1/5
Read the full review