Starring Matthias Schoenaerts. In French, with English subtitles. Rated PG

The big draw in this thriller shot on the Mediterranean coast of France is Belgium’s Matthias Schoenaerts, Europe’s latest contribution to the world of introspective machismo, as seen in such multinational productions as Rust and Bone and Far From the Madding Crowd. Here, he plays Vincent, a special-forces veteran back from multiple adventures in Afghanistan. He wants to go back, but his PTSD has him sidelined.

It’s understandable that one of his service buds would ask this skittish dude to join a security detail hired by a wealthy Lebanese businessman (Percy Kemp) throwing a lavish party at an estate called Maryland—the film’s original title. But would that pal really recommend him for a solo gig protecting the frequently travelling businessman’s young, blond wife, Jessie (Diane Kruger), and their small son?

At the soiree, Vincent notices small skirmishes between various French ministers and shady hustlers, so he’s already on edge when alone in the house with his charges. Oddly, there’s no staff at the thunderstorm-spooky Maryland. When not distracted by night sweats, our brutish hero is increasingly attracted to the scantily clad Jessie, setting in motion various conflicts of interest that suggest more subtext than actually meets the eye.

When the inevitable home invasion comes, Vincent reveals his inner Bruce Willis, plus some extra demons. The movie builds an ominous head of steam, but because Jessie and her son never become real personalities, the emotional stakes remain low. And those invaders don’t really have much of a plan. This is all quite disappointing, because young writer-director Alice Winocour displayed a keen eye for female power issues in her script for the Oscar-nominated Turkish film Mustang. In Disorder, she tries to shoehorn politics into a routine genre outing, and both come up short.