L'uomo di Rio

A friend recommended this film to me, as I hadn't seen it and I enjoy spoof films. I was surprised that this film was, or is not, widely known, or admired. It is the kind of film that they just don't make anymore, a film that everyone can enjoy, with a handsome hero going through all sorts of fantastic adventures for the woman he loves. It seems unbelievable that some people have given this film a low rating for it has everything that a good film should have; a personable hero, fast-pacing and excitement. It is also very funny and, at times, very suspenseful, but it is also bright and breezy, with never a dull moment. It is the perfect film for everyone.It definitely get's a ten in my book. I will watch it again and again.

Jean-Paul Belmondo died recently,* so I decided to watch one of his most famous movies. What an experience! "L'homme de Rio" ("That Man from Rio" in English) has just about everything! Obviously, the movie borrowed a lot of stuff from Tintin books, but isn't all art borrowed from something or other? Philippe de Broca's Academy Award-nominated movie is a great romp from start to finish. I suspect that, had Françoise Dorléac not died a car wreck at the age of twenty-five, she would've gone on to become just as great an actress as her younger sister (Catherine Deneuve).

Anyway, a fun movie with some great shots of Rio de Janeiro. And is that soundtrack to die for or what?

*As it happened, Belmondo died right after I saw his movie "Leon Morin, Priest".

I'm glad I finally searched for this movie here at IMDb. I have only seen this movie twice on TV, and that was a long time ago, but it's unforgettable. Can you buy it at any of the big retail chains? Every week older movies are restored and reissued on DVD, so hopefully this one has or will be in the future. I will be very glad when I own a copy.

If my memory serves me right, this movie had everything: foot chases, car chases, shootouts, locations around the world, a beautiful sidekick, airplane sequences, parachuting into the jungle, a massive bar fight, stolen relics leading to a mystery cave, crazy stunts and all very entertaining and fun to watch.

Honest script, great locations, a very young Jean-Paul Belmondo and a very beautiful Françoise Dorléac. An effective Jean Servais in a role that is confirmed to be negative only in the second half of the film. A very young Adolfo Celi, great actor, prematurely gone too. And a very young Daniel Ceccaldi, in an unusual role for him. The stunts of Jean-Paul Belmondo are executed by... Jean-Paul Belmondo. For the first time in a movie, he makes his own stunts (at the risk of losing his life...) To be seen anytime again and again!

This movie is sophisticated colorful European and fun in style. The action grabs you right away and takes you on a fantastic roller coaster ride in some of the most seductive looking cities ever filmed, Rio and Brasilia. Belmondo is supposed to be on a weekend pass and goes AWOL to save his girl who is kidnapped (from Orly Airport in Paris) and dragged to Brazil where she becomes entangled with thieves and stolen Incan statues. It's no wonder that DeBroca's 1967 "King of Hearts" is many people's favorite film of all time. Jean Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorleac are most engaging and attractive performers. Sadly she died not long after this film was released.