Operación Chuleta de Ternera

As a cinephile from the 21st century, one probably discovers the existence of this film as a fan of the cult classic "Les Visiteurs", made by Jean-Marie Poiré, with Clavier and Reno and Lemercier as the main core. The prospect of learning about a comedy with that exact cast just two years prior is quite exciting news, even with only average expectations. What happens in this one is that despite being overall fairly impressive looking and well directed, there's a bit too much going on with the intricacies of the story; which aren't even that interesting; with too little reward for the viewer at the end. The consumer may be fed a bit of a convoluted story, and accept paying close attention to it, if only it is worth it in the end. But demanding too much focus from the viewer, just to sustain its complicated plight for existence as a crime/comedy doesn't cut it. There's a couple of funny scenes, all in typical Poiré fashion and his signature is unmistakable, and there's a certain personality to the film with its comical characters, but many scenes will come across as long-winded or simply a bit on the hollow side.

The difference between this and the following 'Les Visiteurs' is quite night and day in terms of pace, fullness and relevance in the story, impact in the comedy and overall movie making craft. This is a bit of fun, a few quirky lines in the dialogue as always, and it's always a bit of a treat to watch these actors during their primes in the early 90's, but it probably can't fully justify its 1h45min length.