Director: Philippe de Broca
Year: 1980
Country: France
Rating: 5.5
Aka - On a volé la
cuisse de Jupiter
Philippe de Broca's follow up to the romantic
policier Dear Inspector is a very different animal even though it still has
the same two characters again played by Phillipe Noiret and the Annie
Giradot. But the tone and mood is completely changed. Firstly, the film is
moved away from Paris which immediately reduces the charm of the surroundings,
the couple gets married right at the beginning of the film which lessens
the sexual tension and de Broca turns it into a screwy absurd comedy of adventure
and crime. It is quite amusing at times, but I missed the urbane romantic
geniality of the first film.
Right after slamming a bartender's face
into the countertop, breaking down a door and pushing dope into the dealer's
face, Inspector Tanquerelle (Giradot) rushes off to be at the church on time.
She is getting married. To the Greek scholar, Professor Lemercier (Noiret)
of the Sorbonne. For their honeymoon, he has convinced her to go to Greece
where he bores her with stories of the once glory of Greece. Things pick
up though when they become friends with a local archeologist Charles-Hubert
(Francis Perrin) and his sexy wife (Catherine Alric, who played the sexy
mistress in the first film). The archeologist has just unearthed the mid-section
of an ancient statue, but it is soon stolen, a murder takes place and Lemercier
and Charles-Hubert are arrested for it.
At this point, the film gets bizarre as
they escape and the foursome lead the police on a merry chase through Greece.
They steal cars, kidnap a policeman, jump off a train and hold up people
as if none of this is to be taken seriously. They are also after the real
killer. It is a major detour from the first film which seems to be loved
by everyone and is disappointing in that regard. It is funny but has no weight
and gets more ridiculous as it goes along. Getting married is sure to take
the romance out of anything, but I wish they had made this Thin Man like
but with the genders reversed.
