Il était une fois un flic
1971 Comedy Crime Thriller
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Credits
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Summary
When a drugs dealer is murdered in Nice, the French police see an opportunity to infiltrate
and break up a notorious drugs trafficking ring. Commissaire Campana agrees to impersonate
the dead man’s brother, although it means “adopting” Christine, a police agent, as his
wife, and her infant son as his own. A confirmed bachelor, Campana has some difficulty
adapting to his new lifestyle as a family man, but he soon has greater concerns to deal
with. Whilst trying to win over the confidence of drugs supremo Pascal Manoni, he
is hassled by the local police, who are unaware of his real identity and are convinced
he is implicated in a series of gangland killings…
Review
Once again, director Georges Lautner turns his hand to the genre for which he is best
known, the comedy thriller. Skilfully blending farce and tough action thriller,
this particular Lautner offering is both entertaining and an effective parody of the American
gangster films of the period. What makes this film particularly memorable is the
pairing of Michel Constantin and Mireille Darc, with both actors bringing sensitivity,
depth and more than a touch of humanity to what could easily have been a pretty empty
piece of cinematic diversion. In one of his earliest screenplays, writer Francis
Veber furnishes the film with his unique brand of tongue-in-cheek wit and some hilarious
comic situations.
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