Review: 'Athena,' a fiery drama of civil unrest, is mostly blowing smoke
Romain Gavras' "Athena" opens with a single-take sequence so intricately choreographed, and so breathtaking in its visual sweep and emotional force, it's almost a shame that there's another 90 minutes or so of movie to go along with it. It begins at a news conference where a French soldier, Abdel (Dali Benssalah), gravely acknowledges the recent killing of his 13-year-old brother, Idir, during an apparent altercation with police. The tragic incident — the third instance of police brutality in two months, blares a news report — was captured in a video that's since gone viral; with the
