I was just expecting a forgettable action/comedy farce to help me waste an evening. Crikey, was I surprised.True, it begins 100% goofy, and by outward appearances it would seem like a brainless romp. Most of the gags are delightfully predictable. But as things unfold, the story, acting and outcome become increasingly intense, giving you much more than what you bargained for. Plot & character development is excellent, and you find yourself locking in with even the most trivial side characters. The plot itself doesn't fully materialize until the 2nd half, but that's the charm of the movie - that somehow all these seemingly random vignettes will converge on a single climax which it does brilliantly, explaining everything & closing the story in an unexpectedly intelligent way.Some of the camera shots were really artistic, particularly the hotel chase scene through the different rooms (you just have to see it). Some of the gags were riotously funny--but you have to remember that this is a dark comedy, so a lot of these gags revolve around a surreal atmosphere of death & violence. Don't worry, though, the director purposely avoided gratuitous shots of blood & guts, opting instead for a more fairytale type of violence which fits perfectly.THE MUSIC IS AWESOME. Lots of old school swing tunes which are delightfully ironic in a modern-day gangster film like this. Keep your eyes (& ears) out for the suspenseful Sergio-Leone-like showdown at the end where the suspense hinges not on guns or action but instead on what song is about to play on the jukebox! Again, it's hard to describe; you just gotta see it.With its fast-paced yet smooth style, this film reminded me of Francis Veber's outstanding comedies ("Le dîner de cons", "The Valet" or "Les fugitifs" which also starred Gerard Depardieu), and in terms of comedic style it is much like the great gangster comedy "Suicide Kings" with Christopher Walken. Indeed Harvey Keitel's role in this film is much like Walken's in Suicide Kings; in both cases it's pulled off with a dark, menacing charm which will give you both chills and chuckles aplenty.It's the oldest cliché in cinema, but this movie is the very definition of "fun". Stick around for the outtakes during the closing credits, and it's pretty obvious that the cast & crew had as much of a blast making this movie as you'll have watching it.

I actually laughed out loud at this smart funny film about a gang of French men doing a "job" in the US, then getting caught in a web of unexpected developments. I have no idea why I didn't hear of this movie earlier, it's just as funny as Lock Stock and Two Loaded Barrels, only it's more wit than brawn, as the spree of French actors are above a certain age. Even the last scene is reminiscent of the above mentioned film.The story was good, the dialogues funny, the music was nice, the acting was very good, as one might expect from a bunch of actors such as these.Bottom line: a must see movie, even if it is, after all, an action comedy about mobsters of different aromas.

How hard are some people to please? I purchased this film ex-rental and consider myself lucky as it was never released for sale in the UK. As a lifelong lover of French cinema and someone who enjoys comedy I can honestly say this film is hilarious. If you can't appreciate the humour you must have had your funny bone removed. The characters are almost caricatures of themselves and it is an offence to buffoons to call them buffoons but in the same vein as the Great Laurel and Hardy you love them all the more. Loaded with in-jokes poking fun at several cultures it is a feel-good comedy that I could watch again and again, I know, I have.

Another prime example of marquee names having a good ol' time collecting paychecks and having a ball making a film at the audience's expense, and the fact that these marquee names do NOT mean a thing when it comes to entertainment. I'm sure they had fun making it. The film however, is chock-full-o-cliché boring, abysmal stuff. The script is awful, the performances are third grade. The rip-offs are blatant. The plausibility of action is in the dumps. The comic stuff is strained and absolutely not funny, more like sad. Seeing aged actors trying to be funny is probably one of the worst things you could do with your precious time. Five minutes into this film I already knew what I was in for, but I stayed with it, because "it's so bad, it's good." Like for example, when a scene is set up to have the 5 Parisian low-lifer bad guys land in a super-rough Chicago hood and face a band of black thugs. The black guys only had knives (right!) and the French dudes had the guns. HAHAHA-funny! Paleeese! The producer and director obviously has the right connections to the money and the stars. If they would've attempted to make this film with unknown actors by an unknown director it probably wouldn't have made it past the script stage. It looks and feels like a generally amateurishly constructed low-budget independent fare, except with big name actors and a big budget.How do big names like Gerard Depardieu and Harvey Keitel get involved in this kind of turd totally escapes me. One would think they had better taste and a sort of responsibility to deliver to audiences worldwide who based on their attachment might just check out this worthless pieces of you-know-what. Is it the old thing about "well, on paper it looked good…"? How do "directors" like this get work in Hollywood? How do these movies get made? Who do you sleep with or lunch with in order to get such an amateurish, pathetic, awful, boring film made in the 21st century? I'm a filmmaker and what really fraggin pees me off in this equation is that fact that it probably cost 60 mil to make and you could have made 6 really good movies for that. At least.Avoid this film unless you want to study HOW not to make a film.