Trafic d'influence (1999)
Directed by Dominique Farrugia

Film Review

One-time writer for French TV's cult comedy groups Les Nuls, Dominique Farrugia directed this madcap comedy-thriller - not his best work, but an entertaining divertissement which offers some good laughs.  Any film with Gérard Jugnot is worth watching and here, as ever, the popular actor gives great entertainment value.  By contrast, Thierry Lhermitte's contribution is almost negligible and Aure Atika (playing a testosterone-charged Julie Lescaut caricature on speed) is just plain irritating, a bland unsympathetic portrayal of a silly two dimensional character (with a gun).  Things are not helped by the idiotic comic book plot, which shows far less sophistication than you would have expected of Farrugia.  Had there been a little more of the satirical commentary and a lot less of mindless mimicry of American-style action thrillers, this would have made a far more satisfactory film.  Still, the film does have at least one decent mobile phone joke...

Film Synopsis

Maxime de Labardière and Gérard Ravanelli are two corrupt politicians who have just been convicted of abusing their position for their own personal gain.  Served with a five year prison sentence, the future for them both looks pretty grim.  It is actually much grimmer than they realise, because Labardière has in his possession a compact disc on which there are some compromising documents that implicate a number of important ministers in a massive fraud.  To prevent this fraud from ever coming to light two hit-men are sent to kill both Labardière and Ravanelli, and also the young woman police officer, Sandrine Athan, who is taking them to prison.  The first murder attempt fails, but Sandrine realises the dangerous predicament that she and her troublesome charges are in.  As if their problems were not bad enough the whole of France appears to have suddenly gone on strike.  With the country gridlocked, Sandrine has her work cut out, delivering the convicted men whilst evading the bullets of their determined assassins...