While making a movie, the maker has to decide on whether to make it an action movie or comedy. Unless a fine balance is made, it becomes as ridiculous as this.
To compound the fact, translating comic sketches into screen is difficult, things that one won't find impractical in the comics becomes ridiculous on screen.
The ubiquitous Police Commissioner - who loves being on TV screen - how could people fail to recognise him, when he (or Fantomas in his mask), robbed repeatedly, deliberately showing his face to witnesses ? The lengthy sketch by the police artists based on description of witnesses was as farce as the movie plot itself. Had this been really comedy, that would have been acceptable, but it was more of an action movie, with a bit of comedy, especially by the Master Funes thrown in.
Even more ridiculous were the brake-compromised car - how could it run backwards ? Or the final chasing - A man gets down of a disconnected train, runs off to a petrol station to 'kidnap' a car and then drives for some distance to pick-up his colleague (which indicates he must have traveled a few kilometers to the petrol station), and then manages to overtake the train, which by any practical purposes must have gained more than half an hour. The whole movie is full of these plot-holes, larger than pot-holes.
Not even Funes can save this. This could have been somewhat OK in infancy of movies say 'Hazard of Helen' or 'Perils of Pauline' Shorts of the early silent period, but not in mid sixties.
Review of Fantomas
