Peso Morto

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 didn't expect to but I liked the film very much. Granted, buddy films have been done one million times, but rather than try to put a new twist on an old theme, this one simply had fun with it. A cheerfully kooky film, with some really well-executed stunts (loved the "It's TURK, not KURD" shootout and the chase scene--nice to see a Peugeot stand in for an Aston Martin for a change), a wild set of plot twists, snappy dialogue, exotic locations. I genuinely enjoyed the Malian prison warden--very funny especially during the (brief) watch scene. I honestly laughed a lot. It's just a well-done, clever, fresh little buddy flick. Sit back and enjoy it.

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...

The movie starts well, fast-paced. With Reggio beeing slightly idiot, and Moltès the hard guy you may get a little Taxi feeling. Then the whole thing turns to a bad comedy as the two became fake black guys, and old James Bond bad guy appears. And the end.... A comedy always ends with happy-end, but they loose all their money (sloooowly, while the cast&crew displayed), and it's over. Gérard Lanvin, Benoît Poelvoorde and José Garcia play well, the rest is forgettable. Matte painting and 3d effects are also on low budget, even a child could spot them.

This movie is better than one thought. Does anybody remember the great 70ies movies with Louis De Funès ? This one is in the same spirit with goofy comic-like characters and a taste of adventure. It is set in France and in Africa. Everybody is funnily over acting and the movie has one of the dumbest (and funniest) endings in recent movie history. Give it a try !