Le Fou du labo 4
1967 Comedy / Thriller
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Summary
When research scientist Eugène Ballanchon invents a gas that renders its unsuspecting
victims calm and amiable, his boss Granger immediately realises its potential for military
use. Unfortunately, so does the notorious gangster Beauchard, who intends to steal
the secret formula for the gas and sell it to a foreign power. To that end, the
beautiful agent Maria Latour is engaged to seduce Eugène and lure him into Beauchard’s
clutches…
Review
Intended presumably as a parody of the gangster thrillers that were increasingly popular
in the 1960s, Le Fou du labo 4 ends up as rather
confused run-around comedy which looks (as improbable as it may sound) like a cross-between
The Avengers and The
High Chaparral (two of the most popular TV series of the 1960s). The director
was Jacques Besnard, who is perhaps best known for directing
Le Grand restaurant (1966), a successful
Louis de Funès comedy. There are some good jokes along the way, but
the chaotic plot and ridiculous characters reduce the film to the level of a muddled piece
of second rate pantomime. Jean Lefebvre is miscast and fails to engage in
the lead role of the hapless professor, Bernard Blier looks slightly absurd parodying
his own parody from Les
Tontons flingeurs (1963), and Michel Serrault is criminally underused.
The only participant to emerge from this seriously camped-up madness with his reputation
still more or less intact is Pierre Brasseur, an actor who manages to shine in the grimmest
of situations.
© James Travers 2007 Write a review for this film... |
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