El embolao

I really didn't know what to expect from this one. Actually I expected a movie like "la chèvre", "les compères" or "l'emmerdeur" : two guys unfortunately sticked one to the other for some reason... Allowing great and funny actors show. But there ?... The actors are good (but Poelvoerde is not at his best here for me), the stunts and special effects are not far from the best action films. The story is not bad. The directing is fair. But something doesn't work at all. I'm not sure of what. Too much violence ? some too-stupid-to-be-true behaviors ? Maybe. So I didn't enjoyed it completely and I won't give it more than a 5 on 10.

Launched in the Spring 2002 in France, "le boulet" was hugely successful (more than 3 million of spectators in the French theaters). Why? This success remains both mysterious and unexplainable because Alain Berbérian's movie's got every conceivable fault, every fault imaginable so that you can name it: the perfect load of rubbish. It consists on an uninspired and hackneyed script with threadbare topics. Dialogs that aren't very worked and a poor directing that emphasizes too much on special effects.

But above all, "le boulet" is a bad movie because it borrows mostly elements or sequences from a lot of French movies. Thus, you find traces of "la cité de la peur" (1994) made by the same director, always Berbérian. But you also think about "la soif de l'or" (1993) and "la grande vadrouille" (1966) both made by Gérard Oury. Even the duo of characters with opposed disposition (here, we deal with the frail Poelvoorde and the heartless Lanvin) and who are however compelled to work together isn't original. Indeed, this comic device had been already used (and brilliantly) by Francis Veber. You only have to watch "la chèvre" (1981) or "les fugitifs" (1986) to realize it.

With this poor movie that looks hollow, we deal with a very serious situation: it would appear that French comedy is declining...

I saw this film in Martinique when it opened, and I don't think it's derivative at all. I thought, if anything, it shows that Blockbuster action and comedy are not the property or sole domain of American filmmakers. The film is a a slapstick comedy and is more often than not successful in that regard. It kind of reminded me of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World in the mad pursuit for a lotto ticket with lots of improbable characters, bizarre situations, and hilarious scenes. In short, watch this film and enjoy -- nice,escapist fun, period. And why would you want to watch this film with bad English dubbing?? Just watch it in French with English subtitles, duh!

I think this film is perfect if you just want to relax and enjoy some action spiced up with some humor. The car chase is unforgettable. The film is quite similar to the Guy Ritchie film (Lock, stock) with its many crazy characters but not so sophisticated, still quite good.

I recently saw this movie on an airplane. I watched it on a tiny 4inch screen (100mm) and had to read subtitles all the way through. It was a hilarious film. If the creators were trying to make a serious blockbuster film, they missed the mark. But I looked to me like they were out to make a fun film that just got crazy at times. This they did. Even reading subtitles, I laughed out loud several times (not a good idea on a crowded plane, btw). Now it is possible that it was because I was in a confined environment with little or no outside stimulii for 8 hours that I found this piece highly entertaining, but I still have to rate this a 7 or 8 outta 10 for entertainment value. Look for it. (Probably not on a North American screen though...)