The timing couldn’t be worse for Suleyman (Saïd Boumazoughe), the local legend, the cop killer. After a seven-year stint in prison for his crime, he arrives at Paradise apartments – and they are anything but. The apartments have been taken over by mob king/druglord Prince Hamza (Achmed Akkabi), a cowardly puppethead of power who resides on the top floor. Every floor throughout is a hellscape of its own, and as Suleyman fights drug dealers, pimps, and violent gang members, one thing is clear: don’t mess with Suleyman’s mother. 

In its world premiere at Fantasia 2026, Attack on Paradise from Bob Colaers provides a simple yet effective story. While the concept of a police raid and an apartment complex as a crime lord’s lair is inspired by The Raid, Attack on Paradise approaches this through the battered protagonist of Suleyman. His crime? He is frisked by police after they almost run him over at a pedestrian crossing, and the abuse from the cops incites Suleyman’s rage (understandably), which leads to his imprisonment. 

After his release, he vows to change his life and returns to Paradise – first, visiting his friend Musa (Salahdine Ibnou Kacemi) for a gift for his mom. Musa gives him the lowdown of the neighborhood, showing Suley his extensive surveillance network and offering our first introduction to the mob king. Across town, rookie cop Yasmine (Clara Cleymans) is debriefed on the police raid intended to take Prince Hamza and his cronies down. The culmination of the police raid versus Prince and his gang is what makes up the rest of this film, and Suleyman has found himself in the middle of it. 

When Suleyman has direct face-offs with opponents, Attack on Paradise flourishes. Within its straightforward objective of Suleyman finding and saving his mother, the film has another clear motive: to exhibit Boumazoughe’s physicality as Suleyman. He is not only a formidable opponent to all of Hamza’s minions, but he’s a cleverer fighter than all of the gang members. He dodges bullets, fights armored cops, breaks limbs, uses his surroundings as weapons, and contorts every which way to avoid death. Just when you think Suleyman’s done for, Boumazoughe and Colaers illuminate his way out. 

Colaers’s direction, blocking, camera angles (a few Dutch tilts really shined), and editing in these moments were critical to keep me anxious for Suley to reach the next floor. Particularly, there’s a moment where he fights one of the henchmen, and as Suleyman gets flipped by the man, the camera flips with him to follow the motion of the action. There’s also a really visually alluring night vision POV sequence, where it feels like you’re the first-person shooter in a video game. It didn’t give me nightmares, but it was certainly tense and jarring. 

As Suleyman finally saves his mother (Fatima Khanfour), you feel heartened. And while it is incredibly satisfying to see the villains go down, it’s even better to see these two people find solace in one another after the intense bloodshed. As they stare out into the ruins of Paradise, sirens sounding towards them, they take in the view of their fresh start, together. 

Although the film is not as polished as large-budget action features with big players, Colaers’s Attack on Paradise has strength in its leading man, Saïd Boumazoughe, whose performance is heightened by his role in co-writing the script. His deliveries felt honest, witty, and very sarcastic, which made him easy to root for. He is also unafraid to be vulnerable. This film also has an adequate cast surrounding it, especially in its second lead, Cleymans. Her physicality was incredible, but she also had some emotional depth in her characterization. 

At its core, Attack on Paradise is an action-packed way to spend an afternoon and a nice addition to Bob Colaers’s filmography.  

Attack on Paradise had its world premiere at Fantasia on July 19. 

Review courtesy of Mariana Fabian

Feature Image Credit to Blue Finch Films