The idea for this film is great because it's so original. However, the execution could have been better, as sometimes the film is handled a bit too broadly--subtle, it wasn't.
A mental patient escapes and soon happens upon a jackhammer. With a weird compulsion to use it, he begins tearing apart a street in Tel Aviv at 5am. And, the man continues jackhammering and disrupting life there non-stop--day and night. It's a nightmare for the residents who appeal to the government to do something. But, because the government is made up of idiot bureaucrats (now that's a stretch), nothing is done. After all, the officials reason, someone must have ordered this work to be done. Much of the film consists of these officials trying desperately to cover their butts and pretty soon they start taking credit for the mess--saying it's all part of a wonderful beautification project. They even order MORE workers to expand the project! However, one lowly official realizes the worker is insane but no one will listen.
It's a clever idea of bureaucracy gone mad--an excellent parody for any developed nation. But, all too often, the film seemed to have acting, direction and music that all worked together to try too hard to make the film kooky. I think a more serious and less slapstick approach would have worked better, as this film has almost a Sherwood Schwartz quality about it (he's the guy responsible for "Gilligan's Island"). Not bad--but it should have been better.
