I can give this film 10 stars just on the sound track alone! or me this is the best work of Bel Mondo. The story its just perfect, Joss (main character) uses the orders that the service gave to him to kill president N'Jala even after he became friend to to his government. They betrayed him and left him to die in prison. The character of commissionaire Rosen it's a perfect one. I have seen this movie maybe 20 times and every time I find something new. The speech in the end between the minister and captain Valeras it's my preferred moment: Is this call under surveillance? Of course Mr. Minister. The duel between Rosen and Joss in the best picture of Paris I have ever seen is also great. But the truth is every moment and every word is perfect. You don't have to miss this movie.

This spy movie packs thrills , emotion , exciting action scenes , good performances , spectacular car chases, and a moving finale . Belmondo steals the show , as he runs , bound and leaps ; he jumps over buildings , cars and executes his own stunts . It concerns a French secret agent named Joss Baumont (Jean Paul Belmondo) is sent to one of the African countries to murder president Njala . However, at the last moment the political climate turns and his superiors decide to sell him to the new African regime ; as the French secret service deals with the African authorities , Joss is double-crossed and condemned to a long-term imprisonment , two years of hard labor . After a daring getaway he goes back to his country and deliberately communicates his previous bosses of his presence promising them to kill Njala (Pierre Saintoins) who has just arrived in France with the official visit . And so begins the manhunt , including Le Ministre (Jean Desailly) , Chief of Police, and Military Adviser . Belmondo being relentlessly chased by his former superiors and a tough agent (Robert Hossein) , while he attempts to see his wife (Elisabeth Margoli) and lover (Cyrielle Clair) .This is an intriguing film that contains noisy action , suspense , thrills , car chases and may other things . Belmondo sports an inimitable smile while shots and kills ; as usual he combines action with comic episodes . The highlights result to be a dueling filmed in Western-showdown style between Belmondo and Robert Hossein , furthermore a suspenseful ending . Enjoyable acting by main star names , Jean Paul Belmondo and Robert Hossein . Belmondo steals the spectacle , as usual at the time , he runs , bound and leaps ; Belmondo makes as his own stunts as well as Jackie Chan , he jumps over buildings, climbs walls , drives rapidly automobiles , including those of the car chase on The Trocadero Plaza . Belmondo asked his father Paul Belmondo to help with the authorizations needed to perform the famous car chase scene . Jean-Paul always performed all the stunts himself but ceased to do so after the accident during the filming of ¨Hold Up¨(1985) . Strong and agreeable secondary cast such as Jean Desailly , Cyrielle Clair and Elisabeth Margoni , among others . Interesting and thrilling screenplay by the prestigious Michael and Jacques Audiard based on a novel by Patrick Alexander . Colorful cinematography by Henri Decae , considered to be one of the best French cameramen , shot on location in Camargue, Bouches-du-Rhône, France (Africa scenes) and Château De Ferrières, Ferrières, Seine-et-Marne, France . Wonderful musical score by the classic Ennio Morricone , including emotive leitmotif . Released years before this film, Ennio Morricone's musical theme "Chi Mai" was never intended to be used for cinema. After hearing it on the radio however, Jean-Paul Belmondo was so impressed that he suggested it should be put into the soundtrack of his film. Ultimately, the record of this musical score was not only more successful than its initial release but came to be one of Morricone's bestselling work . The picture was successful at box office , ranking 4th highest grossing movie of its year in Franc e. Broke the 300,000 admissions mark in Paris ; a record at the time . The motion picture was well directed by Georges Lautner . He was an expert on comedy and action genre , and realized various vehicles for famous and tough French actors ,such as Alain Delon (Twisted detective , Les Seins De Glace), Michael Constantin (These was once a cop , Man in the trunk , Take it easy is a waltz) and of course, Jean Paul Belmondo (Cop or hood , Le Guignolo , Joyeuses Paques , Le Professional) . Rating : 6 , acceptable film for Jean Paul Belmondo fans and action aficionados .

The plot is pretty typical by now. A spy is betrayed by his country and now seeks revenge. We've all seen this stuff before. However, the way this movie is executed is fantastic. This has pretty much everything a spy flick needs. It's got a great lead actor, hot French women, political intrigue, and a car chase scene. It also has a great soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Fans of Belmondo should be pleased. I've never seen his other movies but he's definitely an entertaining actor. Oddly enough, he does physical comedy really well. Action movie fans should also be pleased. Watching Belmondo beat people up never gets old. I wouldn't be surprised if The Bourne Identity took some ideas from this movie.

This is an excellent film to watch provided you are able to suspend disbelief and just accept the movie for what it is. Otherwise, you will probably sit there and repeatedly say to yourself "this couldn't possibly have happened".The film begins after quite a bit of back story has already taken place. What had happened up to the beginning was that Jean-Paul Belmondo is a French agent who was sent to Madagascar to kill the dictator. However, in a twist, the French government has changed their mind about the assassination AND decided to inform the King that Belmondo is coming to kill him. You never know why there is a change of heart AND betrayal of Belmondo. The film begins with him on trial for the plan and Belmondo won't betray his government--even though this is exactly what they'd done to him.After two years in hard labor, Belmondo and another prisoner escape and eventually he makes his way to Paris. Now, angry and wanting retribution, he lets his old bosses know that he STILL intends to kill the King and will do so during his state visit to France. Why they didn't just cancel the King's visit, I have no idea. Instead, they try to both protect him and capture Belmondo. The problem, however, is that the French secret service is apparently manned by morons, as again and again, he is able to slip past them--in sort of a game of cat and mouse. At first, I thought this was kind of clever, but after a while it just seemed a bit...annoying. After all, no enemy is THAT stupid--and the police and secret service can't be that dumb, as Belmondo was one of them originally! In several cases, dozens or even hundreds of men surround a location--only to have Belmondo just sneak right in like it's no big deal! This is a severe handicap of the film--making him defeat and out-think the police could have been more interesting if the police hadn't been like the Keystone Kops.However, despite this major complaint, there is a lot to like. Jean-Paul Belmondo is great. He does many of his own stunts and his athleticism was amazing. I especially loved his ability to take a fall or do acrobatics, but his style and acting also carried the film. I also loved the car chase--it was even better than such great chases as in DIVA and LA BALANCE--two other wonderful French films. Additionally, how the assassination went down at the end of the film was brilliant--once you got past the silliness of how he just slipped into the compound! Also, while many will no doubt dislike the downbeat ending, I thought is was excellent.Overall, interesting and entertaining brain candy. With a smarter enemy, this film could have been fantastic.By the way, a review that was written some time ago complained that the film was dubbed. The DVD I saw was, thankfully, captioned--not dubbed! Hurray!