`Bon Voyage' is a light-hearted and light-headed action adventure slash romance set in quite a dramatic time: French surrendering to the Nazis and the cowardly collaboration of the Vichy government.
But this is no `pianist': Rappenau plays with the genre and the period, making a film about the forties shot in campy, sometimes funny 40s style. Great concept, except it has been done, and better, and more than 20 years ago. Bon Voyage tries the romance, the adventure and the period references and fails every step of the way.
Gerard Depardieux delivers a colorless interpretation as the Minister of the Interiors that loses his head for an actress (Isabella Adjani) involved in what makes the plot twist and turn. Thankfully Grégori Derangère's character tells us at some point that the old Gerard is supposed to represent an opportunistic man always ready to switch alliance. By that time, however, Depardieux's time on the screen is mostly gone, and hopefully soon forgotten. It was fun to see Peter Coyote back as a Nazi spy. I had not seem him doing somebody so devious since Lune de Fiel.
But it's just not enough: what is left is a fun script, and a great plot that comes together more or less in the second part of the movie, making the mandatory coincidences seem not completely forced and artificial, and some action Rappenau is pretty good at, as in L'Hussard sur le toit). The man is ready for Hollywood, and believe moi, this is not a compliment.
But this is no `pianist': Rappenau plays with the genre and the period, making a film about the forties shot in campy, sometimes funny 40s style. Great concept, except it has been done, and better, and more than 20 years ago. Bon Voyage tries the romance, the adventure and the period references and fails every step of the way.
Gerard Depardieux delivers a colorless interpretation as the Minister of the Interiors that loses his head for an actress (Isabella Adjani) involved in what makes the plot twist and turn. Thankfully Grégori Derangère's character tells us at some point that the old Gerard is supposed to represent an opportunistic man always ready to switch alliance. By that time, however, Depardieux's time on the screen is mostly gone, and hopefully soon forgotten. It was fun to see Peter Coyote back as a Nazi spy. I had not seem him doing somebody so devious since Lune de Fiel.
But it's just not enough: what is left is a fun script, and a great plot that comes together more or less in the second part of the movie, making the mandatory coincidences seem not completely forced and artificial, and some action Rappenau is pretty good at, as in L'Hussard sur le toit). The man is ready for Hollywood, and believe moi, this is not a compliment.