GTMax on Netflix: Is it worth watching? 

GTMax is a French drama film directed by Olivier Schneider, known for thrillers like Unkown and State Affairs, and screenplay by Jean-André Yerlès, Rémi Leautier, and Rachid Santaki. The film premiered on Netflix on November 20, 2024.

The film is about Soelie Carella, a motocross prodigy who devotes herself to training her brother Michael and making him an ace racer. However, when her brother gets entangled in risky business involving high-profile theft, she must overcome her fears to save him.

The film is a family drama within a heist storyline. It starts with a police chase and ends similarly. However, the film's soul lies in between, the Carella family drama and Soelie's pursuit to save Michael. The film has a good enough storyline and is an interesting one-time watch.

Disclaimer: The article is speculative and contains spoilers for GTMax.

---

GTMax is a family drama within a heist film

The film begins with a chase sequence on the streets of Paris in which cops are chasing a group of robbers who are riding on scooters. Lieutenant Lucas Delvo, a resilient cop and former racer continues to pursue them even though he has been ordered to stand down due to the property damage and public safety concern. Despite Delvo's resilience, the robbers manage to escape.

The story then shifts to a race track outside of the city which is owned by the Carella family. Daniel and Clara Carella built the track out of passion and now local championships are held there, from which a door of greater opportunity opens for the racers. Daniel's son Michael participates in the race and daughter Soelie prepares the vehicle.

Soelie used to be an ace racer, but an unfortunate accident pulled her away from the tracks. In the race in the scene, Michael comes second by a split-second margin, but the impact of his was much greater than he expected. It turned out that the family was in substantial debt and the sponsors that would have come from Michael's victory could have helped save the track from getting sold.

Daniel decides to sell the bikes he and his wife made themselves, to which Michael and Soelie object, but this is the only way to avoid bankruptcy. This propels Michael to seek the help of Yacine, who was part of the trio of thieves, running away from the police earlier. Soelie and Michael decide to do the dirty work for money, but things keep getting more complicated.

The story of the film is quite simple and predictable with a few racing and chasing scenes in between. What will keep viewers interested is the Carella family dynamics. Michael is desperate to prove his worth to his father, who in turn never seems to appreciate him. On the other hand, Soelie is deeply protective of her brother and does everything to keep him safe.

---

Ava Baya as Soelie carries the film

Ava Baya plays Soelie Carella, the former motocross prodigy who isn't a woman of many words, but is disciplined and determined, and knows more about bikes than anyone else around her. Her talent gets buried under the grief of her mother's death and an unfortunate accident. Now, family is what she cares about the most in the world.

GTMax doesn't have many compelling characters. Apart from Soelie, none of the characters have enough depth or personality to hold the viewer's attention. Ava Baya plays Soelie convincingly from the first scene to the last, never talking more than required or smiling more than necessary.

---

GTMax is an interesting one-time watch

GTMax provides us with a simple family drama with a few interesting scooter chase sequences on the streets of Paris. The last sequence is especially praiseworthy for the precision to which it has been pulled off on the busy streets full of people.

However, despite a few rushes of adrenaline, viewers don't get anything much out of the film. You always know what's going to happen in the next scene, and interestingly, the film never tries to do anything different or special from the other heist film.

Despite the shortcomings, GTMax is a watchable film. For those who like non-flashy, quiet, and sober race films then this is for them. But the fans of flashy movies, like Fast and Furious or Death Race franchise, would get bored very soon.

---

GTMax is currently available for streaming on Netflix.