Missão Córsega - O Filme

I watched this film recently on a French public TV station.

In the hope I'll see something in the vein of "Opération Corned Beef", one of my favourite French comedies which also stars Jean Reno and Christian Clavier, I got disappointed by this one. The dialogues between this duo aren't as memorable and performed not as snappy as in the aforementioned film.

Sure the Corsican landscapes and towns captured by this film are beautiful, it's not by coincidence people call Corsica "L'île de beauté" (The island of beauty) and the main actress is very nice to look at, but I think something like the comics album "Astérix en Corse" incapsulates better the Corsican mentality than this film even if there are a lot of parallels between these two.

In the end I have to admit I never read the comics which inspired "L'enquête corse", maybe I would have enjoyed the film more if I did.

The movies is a quite good one in its category. It will give you some good time and laughs while you follow the story of the detective from Paris and the local people of Corse.

Do not expect deep thoughts, special effects, multimillion setups or Oscar nominee scenes. Just some good time to relax. That's what the film is meant for...

Jean Reno and Christian Clavier will provide you with their acting talent. They are very good at making you smile or laugh. 'Lea' gives something for the eyes. The locals give you some parody of the Corsican historical heritage...

This film is about a Parisian detective hunting for a certain influential mob leader in Corsica.

after watching the film, my impression is that a lot of stuff is lost in translation. The film gives me a happy and uplifting impression, along with the sunny and beautiful scenery of Corsica. The budget is good and the sets are beautifully done. Caterina Murino is so beautiful, she steals many of the scenes. As for the plot, sometimes it does not make sense. In one scene, Christian Clavier walks up a church tower, but the next scene he gets out of a police car. What happened there? I have the feeling that certain scenes are meant to be funny, but I fail to grasp it completely. An example is that Christian Clavier endures the choirs at 2 in the morning. It is a fun film to watch, but I think it would have been better if I understood French or their culture.

Christian Clavier does well when he plays a normal guy and his character works. Jack Palmer (Remi François) is about as straight and narrow as they come. He's good at his job and he doesn't get too distracted. The opening sequence does well to establish his character. He gets pulled into the criminal world of Corsica as he searches for Ange Leoni to let him know about a 2 million euro inheritance.

Catherine Munro is Gorgeous. I couldn't take my eyes off of her for the whole film. She plays Lea, the sister of Agne Leoni (played by Jean Reno). Lea is a smart and beautiful woman who takes a liking to Remi and that doesn't bode well for Ange. As Remi and Lea become closer, Ange becomes more upset and pulls Remi further into the Corsica lifestyle. It's got some good humor and beautiful scenery.

But it falls apart. Some of the jokes and editing don't work for the story. The acting, as far as I can tell, is decent. It's just not as good as it could be. There's something about the flow of scenes that falls short and it doesn't pay off in most scenes. In the end, you would do well to enjoy the scenery (I'm talking Catherine Munro), but you wouldn't be missing much if you didn't watch the whole film.

I saw this movie for the first time last night, and absolutely laughed my head off! I am an American who does speak French, so I don't know what laughs might be "lost in translation" for some non-francophones, but, the sheer comical situations, personalities, and facial expressions, I think are hilarious in any language. The added treat is the extremely lovely settings, indoor and outdoor, where the film takes place. Now I feel I must see Corsica at least once in my lifetime.

Unlike many French films, which are so often self-conscious, unimaginative, and non-spontaneous, "L'enquête corse" is totally spontaneous and refreshing. It delivers!