We act according to the usual scheme: first we climb into the troubles and we will rake out later! Our parents were right to watch and re-watch old French films. Jean Marais, Louis De Funes, Jean-Paul Belmondo. These and other names could be heard in childhood with noticeable periodicity from the mouths of adults, and many lucky people even managed to watch films with the participation of such beautiful actors. What was the secret of popularity? The painstakingly recreated atmosphere of the film, where the comedy entertained, adventures fascinated, and the drama took for a living? Sure. A musical accompaniment that was simple, but at the same time brilliant? Absolutely. But the main indicators of the success of these films was that the characters were worked out not only in breadth, but also in depth. The motives of the heroes were always unambiguous, and their inner world was full of pitfalls and unpleasant surprises, but this is what created vivid and memorable images. Images that evoked a whole range of feelings and emotions, the main of which was sympathy. And it's because of that feeling that we, like our parents, watch and watch movies with our favorite French actors. For their sake, and also because we were captured by the captivating world of cinema and just like the heroes of today’s film, we are ready for a couple of hours to become “adventure seekers”.
The story tells the story of three talented people, whom fate bizarrely brought together and who are eager to realize their dream. Manuel Borelli (Alain Delon) despite the fact that he was born a man, but at heart he was always a bird and he was pulled into the air with terrible force. Soon Manu became a pilot, but it seemed to him not enough, it is understandable. When you have wings, you can do the impossible. So the hero Alain Delon dreams of flying on his plane under the triumphal arch and filming it all in order to make history. True, Manu did not come to this idea himself, but with the help of some “well-wishers”, who arranged everything so that the hero of Alain Delon not only failed, but was deprived of the pilot’s rights.
Manu’s best friend is Roland Darbon (Lino Ventura), on the contrary, he does not dream of the sky and is more attracted to speed, so that the wind would break his hair, and the miles would travel with incredible speed. To this end, the hero Lino Ventura develops a racing car that can develop incredible speed. Alas, but Roland is waiting for failure and the car, during one of the test races will light up, and then explode, miraculously not killing the driver.
Letizia Weiss (Joanna Shimkus) is an abstract sculptor who makes works of art from various kinds of garbage. In theory. I'm not an expert. Maybe it does, but I think it's the same garbage. Just T-S-S, don't talk to Letitia about it, or you'll be offended. However, you can say, because the exhibition, which the girl arranged for influential gentlemen, will end in complete failure and journalists boo the girl.
Naturally, each of the characters, after such a failure, withdraws into themselves and their hands simply drop, but it is not for nothing that this film tells about friendship, because with the help and support of each other, the characters overcome all troubles and adversity, well, in the case of the hero Alain Delon, the offenders get by the face and even accidentally talk about a sunken plane in the Congo. A plane with five hundred thousand francs inside. Well, that sounds interesting. Perhaps the heroes really should go to a warm country, and at the same time look for treasures. Can you see how to cope with the black longing that has seized the soul because of an unrealized dream? That's it! Manu, Roland and Letizia go to Congo for a meeting of adventures!
This is such a rather non-trivial plot. Which later develops into a natural love triangle. Actually, there is nothing surprising here: One pretty and smart girl, two resourceful and single men, so this was more than expected. Nothing, but soon the movie has a problem. Problem with the story. Yes, I understand that the film was based on a book, but as usual, it is very difficult to convey the contents of the book in full and have to sacrifice something. History was sacrificed here.
Once in the Congo, the characters begin to dive away from the city and seemingly do not interfere with anyone, but soon an unknown person appears who says - I will show you where the plane you are looking for. Hello! No answer, no hello, no name, but knows why the heroes came. Looks like a grand piano in the bushes? Small, tiny, but still a piano, which the eye clings to. However, soon there is a group of unknowns, in the number of four humanoids, who pursue the main characters. However, the bandits are not fully disclosed. Who are they? How? What do they want? Well, the latter is more or less clear, but what about the rest? Okay, let’s say they were hired by the same person who told the hero Alain Delon about the crashed plane, but you could say at least a few words about it, and give some screen time to the bandits? It turns out that they are not so much people as a natural disaster that leaves behind death and destruction. Maybe I'm being too strict. Quite possibly. I just don't like it when there are plot holes in a good movie. This is a bad viewing experience.
In defense of the film, it is worth saying that the relationship between the main characters was spelled out from and to and in their friendship, growing into love, really believe. The first half of the picture is even saturated with inner kindness and positiveness, which makes it seem that it will continue to be so, but no, the film makes a sharp roll towards the thriller and the atmosphere from cheerful and carefree turns into gloomy and depressive, and the lives of the characters begin to hang in the balance. Yes, the balance of the picture is not sustained and the transition turned out to be extremely sharp, but here we can say this thing - the life path of a person, any person, is unlikely to be dotted with roses and there will always be both their ups and downs and sometimes they happen unexpectedly.
Outcome? Interesting, funny and moderately dramatic film, about three aspiring adventurers whose life is not the most successful way, but they do not give up and try to move forward no matter what. We have a lot to learn from them.
7 out of 10
