OSS 117: FROM AFRICA WITH LOVE/ ALERTE ROUGE EN AFRIQUE NOIRE

France, 2021, 117 minutes, Colour.

Jean Dujardin, Pierre Niney.

Directed by Nicolas Bedos.

This is the third in a series of spy comedy dramas, spoofs of such films as those of James Bond, this one more particularly with his title parodying From Russia With Love and the numbering of the agents.

The former films in the series were set in Rio and Cairo.

The hero of all three is Oscar-winning actor, Jean Dujardin, the first two films directed by the Oscar-winning director of The Artist Michael Hazanavisius before The Artist. However, he was not involved with this film, the new director, Nicolas Bedos, who made an impact with La Belle Epoque.

Whether this kind of spoof makes a telling impact with younger audiences, not familiar with the images of James Bond in his films from the 1960s, especially with Sean Connery, is difficult to tell. This image of James Bond and espionage, parodied a great deal in the 1960s, for example with the James Coburn’s Flynn dramas as well as Dean Martin as Matt Helm.

However, older audiences, may well enjoy the parody and the nostalgic memories which are being sent up. In fact, the situations, the characterisation of the central spy, Hubert, a lot of the dialogue is quite droll, not necessarily laugh out loud, but amusing, often witty, often clever, and most frequently spoof.

This is evident in the opening with the hero being tortured, a remote desert location, but suddenly turning the tables and escaping, the rescue at hand, female pilot and flirtation (and some behaviour from our hero, the setting being 1981, that might now get him accused of harassment). There is also the busy chief in Paris who sits at his desk, on the phone ordering all kinds of activity but safely at home. And a Miss Moneypenny equivalent.

We are also introduced to a new agent, Serge, OSS 1001, played by Pierre Niney. He admires the veteran exceedingly but this is not reciprocated. In the meantime, Hubert is taken out of action and sent, in 1981, to become familiar with computers – struggling at first, getting advice from the boffs and nerds, but eventually very successful. But, the younger agent disappears in Africa and Hubert is sent to rescue him. There is a great deal of sendup of the French image in the period of President Mitterrand. The dapper spy, always the smooth talk, ingratiating himself in society, having a way with the women.

This part of the film will be of interest to French audiences and colonial French audiences remembering the French colonial past, the presumptions of government in Paris, continually distancing themselves from being seen as racist but very racist-colonial in their attitudes and treatment of the locals. A whole lot of complications, quite an amount of intrigue against the President who is up for re-election, with rebels including his wife against him, having various doubles and more who can be shot for his survival…

Also themes of arms supplies, Russians with arms connections, depots in the jungle, explosions, and a whole lot of fights. Hubert is put in jail because of getting into a racist brawl, discovers OSS 117 there, takes credit for his rescue, but becomes involved in further adventures, the younger man being superior to the older – but being taken by a crocodile.

The smug older man returns to France – possibly for further adventures and the audience sees that the younger man has survived.

Tres Francais!