Rave-Reviewer

Neat title this - L'arnacoeur - invoking the Paul Newman classic The Hustler (L'arnaqueur in France), but the present film in fact resembles the more recent Hors de prix, both in setting and in its narrative arc. A former boxer joins forces with his brother and sister-in-law and together they offer the service of breaking up intended couples who are unhappy, even if they do not know it. When debts force him to use his seductive powers against a woman who is really in love, he finds himself challenged morally as well as professionally. It is all quite preposterous but works rather better, partly because it packs in some great visual gags along the way, partly because there is actually some chemistry between the stars. Also, when interest flags in the central 'will she, won't she?' set-up, the film-makers wisely put in some schtick involving the versatile Ferrier and Damiens. Another commercial success for the lithe and athletic Duris, but is he in danger of being typecast?

A witless spoof of Die Hard, and other movies when it runs out of ideas, one of France's top 2001 box office draws feature the inexplicably popular TV comedy duo of Judor and Bedia, who have seemed to model themselves on the Dumb and Dumber sub-genre of comedy. The effect is rather like watching Norman Wisdom in the same film as Jerry Lewis while each tries to slow down and dilute his schtick to make the other look better. One excruciating routine has one of them repeatedly failing to notice as the other dirties the window he has just cleaned. The rather cute Foïs has her features fixed in an expression of contempt throughout, though it might be boredom, and Riaboukine is wasted in the Alan Rickman role. The hardware and production values are in fact pretty well matched to the Die Hard films (even the colour processing is the same), but it only makes one long all the more for someone to either shoot or defenestrate these two cretins and put us out of our misery. In brief, this one definitely does not travel.