 |
|
|
|
Summary
Realising that times have changed, five unscrupulous crooks decide it is time for a reappraisal
of their line of business. Prostitutes are demanding the right to strike, workers
now dismiss their bosses rather than the other way round, and the world is being refashioned
by political and social revolutions. For Lino, Jacques, Simon, Charlot and Aldo,
the days of robbing banks are a thing of the past. Now they decide to make an active
participation in this brave new world, by hijacking aeroplanes and kidnapping high-profile
public figures, starting with the rock singer Johnny Halliday. It proves to be a
very lucrative enterprise, until one of their victims turns the tables on them...
Review
Although intended as an off-the-wall comedy, L’Aventure, c'est l'aventure does
offer a pretty accurate reflection of the kind of political upheavals which were taking
place in France when it was being made. The aftershocks of May ’68 were still shaping
public attitudes, with power gradually shifting away from the political and managerial
elite into the hands of ordinary men and women. Naturally, some unscrupulous
individuals were not slow to capitalise on such developments to further their own ends,
and L’Aventure, c'est l'aventure can be seen as a timely satire on such cynical
exploitation of populist ideals. It is also an enormously funny film - possibly
Lelouch’s best comic film - and, apart from a few rather tedious sequences, it makes for
a near-faultless piece of entertainment. Extraordinary to think that when the film
was first released it was shot to pieces by the critics.
What makes the film so enjoyable and memorable is the constant sparring between the five principal characters as they fumble their way through a series of improbable criminal exploits. Like a pack of juvenile delinquents, they manage to persuade themselves of their infallibility, in spite of the fact that they are getting increasingly out of their depth. The five actors who play this unlikely band of politically opportunistic crooks make an impressive quintet, headed by the indispensible Lino Ventura (who is renowned for playing tough gangster leads). Popular Belgian singer Jacques Brel took the part which Lelouch had originally offered to Jean-Louis Trintignant when the latter opted out of the project. Among the film’s many rib-tickling sequences, the best is probably the scene where the five crooks end up being tortured (by a bizarre caricature of a South American revolutionary) to reveal the number of their Swiss bank account. It is scenes such as this which have made L’Aventure, c'est l'aventure an enduring film and, in the eyes of some, a cult classic. © James Travers 2003 Write a review for this film... |
To buy this film:    More selected DVDs... |
