Les Anges gardiens (1995) - film review

Antoine Carco, the proprietor of a seedy Parisian night club, travels to Hong Kong to honour the dying wishes of an old friend.  He agrees to take his friend’s young son, Bao, back to France to stay with his mother, but is more interested in is friend’s $40 million legacy.  Realising that he has become the target of Chinese gangsters, Carco puts Bao in the care of Father Hervé Tarain, a priest who is heading back to France with a mountain of suitcases and children.  Back in Paris, Carco and Tarain are haunted by their guardian angels, who seem determined to change their lives for the worse...

Director Jean-Marie Poiré followed his hugely successful Les Visiteurs (1993) with this boisterous action comedy, proving the old adage that lightning seldom strikes twice in the same spot.  Whereas Les Visteurs was innovative, well-written, well-acted and generally funny, Les Anges gardiens is a shameless attempt to mimic the tedious action comedies of the American variety.  The film may appeal to children or die-hard fans of Christian Clavier, but who else?

© James Travers 2004

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