Bac Nord lands on Netflix on June 18, 2026. After hitting the big screen in 2021 and later airing on France 2, this police thriller from director Cédric Jimenez brings together Gilles Lellouche, François Civil, and Karim Leklou as Marseille cops facing a case that spirals beyond their squad.
Bac Nord
Film | 2021
Available on Netflix on June 18, 2026
Police thriller | Runtime: 1h44
By Cédric Jimenez | Screenplay: Cédric Jimenez and Audrey Diwan
Starring Gilles Lellouche, François Civil, Karim Leklou, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Kenza Fortas
Original title: Bac Nord
Nationality: France
The action of Bac Nord unfolds in Marseille’s northern districts. A BAC squad grapples with the performance targets imposed by its superiors in a zone marked by trafficking and daily violence. Under pressure, frontline officers tweak their methods to extract information and rack up arrests.
When the justice system scrutinizes their practices, the tables turn against them. The film lays bare the machinery that drags these men into the very methods they deemed essential for their mission. Without giving away its key twists, Bac Nord probes the boundary between police efficiency, individual accountability, and illegality.
The trailer for Bac Nord sets the Marseille backdrop of the film, the pressure on frontline officers, and the slow-burn of a judicial case inspired by real events.
Bac Nord draws directly on a judicial scandal that led to the formal investigation of several Marseille police officers. To shape the story, Cédric Jimenez met with real figures involved in the case and sought to convey their perspective, without turning the film into a documentary or passing judgment on the facts.
The film also reunites Cédric Jimenez and Gilles Lellouche, after La French. It sits in a strand of contemporary French cinema that tackles policing issues with a taut, uncompromising edge, echoing Ladj Ly’s Les Misérables or Olivier Marchal’s Bronx.
In the cast, Gilles Lellouche, François Civil and Karim Leklou portray the three officers at the heart of the narrative. The film also features Adèle Exarchopoulos, Kenza Fortas, Cyril Lecomte and Michaël Abiteboul.
Bac Nord may appeal to Netflix subscribers seeking a tense French crime thriller rooted in a real case and led by a trio of acclaimed actors. The film is aimed more at viewers who crave something beyond traditional police procedurals, ones detached from social and institutional stakes.
To go further, also explore our pick of Netflix highlights for June 2026, our guide to streaming releases across all platforms, and today’s streaming pick: What to watch today.
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