Les Insaisissables (2000) - film review

Bailiff Grimbert finally meets his match when he attempts to seize the assets of an old woman named Madeleine.  She is protected by three young men, Romain, Alain and Philippe, who have themselves each been victims of the French legal system that allows odious men like Grimbert to take their private possessions when they get into debt.  Having duped Grimbert into taking goods from the wrong house, Romain and his friends make a close study of the law, the sole objective being to make their enemy’s life sheer Hell.  But, as they soon discover, there’s one thing worse than a bailiff, and that’s a bailiff who has been humiliated...

This slow-paced and largely predictable comedy from director Christian Gion is distinguished most by Daniel Prévost’s surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of a bailiff who gets his just deserts.  Whilst let down by a meandering storyline and some shameless sentimentality, the film benefits from a talented cast who make the most of Gion’s bland script, injecting some fleeting moments of hilarity and emotional depth.  However, it is painfully evident that both Prévost and his co-star, Dominique Guillo, deserve better material than this.

© James Travers 2005

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?