Hunting With Tigers – the title in French is Tigres et Hy-nes – drops viewers straight into the hard-bitten streets and shadowy nightclubs of twenty-first-century Paris. The film tracks Malik, a twenty-something played by Wa-l Sersoub, whose fragile attempt at a clean life shatters the moment his estranged stepfather, legendary underworld figure Serge Lamy (Vincent Perez), returns from years in Spanish exile and is promptly jailed. Cornered by fate, Malik is hauled back into crime he had tried to outrun, barely pausing to size up the ruin that might follow.
On the morning of Serge’s trial, Iris (G-raldine Nakache), a sharp, restless lawyer defending both Serge and another boss, Ch-rif, finds Malik outside the courthouse. She lays out a deal tinted in gray ethics: stage one last, audacious job for her before the gavel comes down, and Serge walks free. Burdened by blood ties and a debt of life, Malik nods.
To pull off the mission, Malik tracks down Chérifs old crew: Avi (Sofiane Zermani), Ange (Olivier Martinez), and Azzedine (Samir Guesmi), each carrying their own baggage and grudges. Their first gig-a bold armored-car take buried in a wedding convoy-goes off with splashy flair. The real test comes, however, when they must snatch Serge from the heavy security transfer at court.
As plans thicken, buried rivalries flare, betrayals circle, and Malik faces the hard question: is loyalty to Serge worth the blood and years it might cost him? The movie races toward a wild, unpredictable finish in which survival, justice, and family crash together on Pariss asphalt.
Cast & Characters
Waël Sersoub as Malik – A torn hero caught between the clean life he wishes for and the debts owed to the man who once pulled him from the edge.
Vincent Perez as Serge Lamy – An aging, magnetic thief whose shadow guides and haunts Maliks every move.
Géraldine Nakache as Iris – A quick-minded, morally slippery lawyer pulling the strings from the safety of her office.
Sofiane Zermani plays Avi, Olivier Martinez is Ange, and Samir Guesmi appears as Azzedine; together they form a street crew, each one pulling the team in different directions with his own hopes and pressures.
Omar Salim steps in as Chérif, the menacing mob chief who casts a long shadow over every move the gang plans.
Hunting With Tigers is overseen by director Jérémie Guez, who also teamed with Louis Lagayette to write the script. Their film clips along briskly and stays close to mood and character strain instead of big-set spectacle, tracing the slow unraveling of Malik’s mind as he weighs each risky choice.
The look is rough and city-bound; dim lights, handheld pans, and tight close-ups put viewers right on the pavement, feeling the crush of alley walls closing in. Cold blue hues dominate, broken only by warm bursts when people actually connect or a sudden conflict flares.
Chases unfold like real scrambles, forcing the viewers to sense the panic and quick fixes that come with escape. The centerpiece ambush of the wedding convoy snaps into place with careful timing that builds dread but never overloads the plot.
- Loyalty vs. Freedom
At its core, Maliks struggle hinges on his duty to Serge, the man who once saved him but who now embodies everything Malik hoped to leave behind. The movie therefore probes a hard question: how much we owe to those who raise us, and whether paying that debt will ruin us in the end.
- The Cyclical Nature of Crime
Malik is not a born offender. He steps into the criminal arena because family ties and raw emotion drag him forward. Yet his journey proves that escaping the machine once youve signed on is astoundingly hard. The narrative thus suggests that many of the people he meets are stuck in loops of violence and need that feel almost predestined.
- Urban Brotherhood and Betrayal
The crew may run jobs smoothly, yet its foundation is trust built on sand. Every member carries secrets and ambitions, and loyalties are tested with every phone call. This simmering tension deepens the plot and leaves viewers unsure who will stand by Malik-and who will cut him loose.
- Heist as Metaphor
In Hunting With Tigers, the capers go beyond cash or an escape route; they stand in for the characters long search for who they are, where they fit, and whether they can make a fresh start. The last job is the clearest example: it forces Malik to choose once and for all between the life that has shaped him and the future he dares to imagine.
🎞️ Reception & Performance
Hunting With Tigers has landed in the world with reviews that range from mixed to outright positive. Critics admire the films clean look, brisk pacing, and performances-especially Sersoub, whose quiet yet charged turn as Malik lingers long after the credits. Vincent Perez and Géraldine Nakache, as key allies and shadows, inject extra weight and unease into a tale that fuses adrenaline with raw feeling.
Yet some viewers argue the plot tips too far into familiar genre ground and that a few emotional moments slide by rather than strike home. The finale, while undeniably pulse-quickening, left certain audiences wishing for a deeper sense of resolution, as if the build-up had not quite matched the release.
Even so, the picture has found a loyal following among lovers of European thrillers and heist yarns, drawn to its stylish direction and murky moral center.
Feature Details
Title Hunting With Tigers (Tigres et Hyènes)
Director Jérémie Guez
Writers Jérémie Guez, Louis Lagayette
Release Year 2024
Genre Thriller / Heist / Action
Language French
Runtime 109 minutes
Main Cast Waël Sersoub, Vincent Pérez, Géraldine Nakache
Country of Origin France
Streaming Platform Amazon Prime Video
Final Thoughts
Hunting With Tigers carves out a strong place in the heist-thriller canon, fusing polished visuals with a heartfelt story. It explores the weight of loyalty, the risks tied to unpaid debts, and the messy, high-stakes reality of life on the criminal fringe.
Although the film does not overhaul the genre, it offers a new tone and a commanding lead performance that links each spectacular set piece to personal loss.
Anyone drawn to European crime stories with relatable characters and relentless suspense will find Hunting With Tigers rewarding. Ultimately, the movie probes the clash between obligations to others and the sometimes harsher debts we carry to ourselves.
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