Tre canaglie e un piedipiatti

Nicely rooted in the real France of 1971 and splendidly acted by the four principals, the crimes are treated as comic. All the baddies end up dead from a neat hole in the forehead, while the cop leading the chase switches sides to fly the loot to a Caribbean island paradise.

Between the three buddies there are enjoyable cross-currents and even, in the case of the femme fatale, twinges of conscience. Cameos include a teacher of English whose strangled speech is barely comprehensible and a lady next door who is overjoyed when questioning turns rough and begs for more.

By the élite, Lautner was seen as entertainment rather than art. In fact, considerable art goes into this entertainment: you get interesting locations, leads with some depth of character who are good to look at, and ever-lively dialogue. These things do not date at all.

This is a pure crime comedy, French comedy gem from the glorious late sixties and seventies. Useless to say that they don't make such gems, such treasures any more. I will forever love such comedies; and I usually hate comedies. Those ones cradled my young years, sunday evenings programs on the first channel. Imagine Bernard Blier, Michel Constantin, Mireille Darc - but during this period, it was nearly impossible to find out a George Lautner's film without Mireille Darc - and many other actors faithful to him. Only André Pousse was missing. It is so entertaining that it is imppossible to get bored. Jean Yanne is also exceptionnal.

It's supposed to be witty but it is often languishing. It's meant to be funny but it's often thick.

Only a few dialogs can vaguely salvage this Turkey, a few lines by some seriously good actors; Bernard Blier is excellent, Jean Yann and Mireille Darc as well.

This movie is the end of a line born in the 50's, a line which had its days and its myths, a line which went into decadence in the 70's, with movies like this one. Mobsters are no longer funny, witty and amusing, the spoofs of "films noirs" became boring before they disappeared. This is the end of a world...