The Corsican File

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.

I heard from this funny movie when I spent my summer holidays 2005 on the isle of Corsica with my family. Fortunately I had the opportunity watching it on the ferry leaving the isle. I have to say that it's long time ago I didn't see such a great film. It shows many parodies about Corsicas political and cultural life mixed with very nice setting places of this beautiful isle. Christian Clavier and Jean Reno did a very solid job and were very cool. If you want to spend a relaxed evening then don't miss it. If you enjoyed it I highly recommend to see another great fun movie starring Jean Reno in "Tais-Toi". You won=t regret it. My vote with my wife is 6 out of 10.

It's quite simple: It's almost impossible for foreigners to understand what's going on in this movie. You have to understand that this movie is based on a famous french comic-book. Therefore the jokes are exaggerated and - without any exception - all characters fit into well-known French/Corsican clichés. It's definitely not a big movie - but for Frenchmen (or people living in France, like me) it's at least very amusing. The Corsican landscape is pretty well filmed. Some of the scenes are indeed very stupid and without any logic - but please remember the comic book background. Reno and Clavier are o.k., but the real sensation is the incredibly beautiful leading lady (Ange Leoni's sister) - she is just worth looking this picture.

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!

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.