Le Bossu (1997)

Le Bossu is a French adventure film first released in 1997, directed by Philippe de Broca.  The film stars Daniel Auteuil, Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Perez, Marie Gillain and Yann Collette.  It has also been released under the title: On Guard.  Our overall rating for this film is: very good.


When the Duke of Nevers, is killed by the Count Gozague in a villainous bid to usurp his position, the swordmaster Lagardère flees with his daughter and swears revenge.  Years later, when Nevers’ daughter has grown into a fine young woman, Lagardère returns to the court to seek his revenge on Gonzague.  What ensues is an amazing confrontation of good against evil, with the eventual humiliation and destruction of the wicked Gonzague.

This is an action-packed two hours of swash-buckling adventure of the Three Musketeers kind in which French cinema has revelled and excelled for decades.  This film certainly lives up to the standard of former triumphs of that ilk.  The choreography of the sword fights is quite stunning without appearing repetetive or overly violent.

The film’s main strength is in its splendid performances from Daniel Auteil and Fabrice Luchini, both actors being far from obvious choices for their respective roles, but both working out very well indeed.  The love thing between Auteuil’s character and his teenage ward looks a bit dubious, but that is easy to overlook in a film where so much is happening.

The location work is excellent, with some truly stunning outdoor sequences, particularly in the scenes where Lagardère and the Duke are on the run from Gonzague’s henchmen.

A very entertaining romp, with some great sword fights and some supremely witty moments.

© James Travers 2000

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