‘OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies’ | 2 stars
By ROBERT W. BUTLER
The Kansas City Star
Meld Sean Connery’s James Bond with Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau and you’ll have an idea of what Jean Dujardin pulls off in “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” (opening today at the Tivoli).
Dujardin, who carries himself uncannily like the young Connery, is consistently amusing as a French spy sent to Cairo in the mid-1950s to more or less set straight everything that’s wrong with the Middle East.
Too bad the film around him is pretty much a washout.
Dujardin’s character, Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath (also known as Secret Agent OSS 117), is the star of a series of Gallic spy novels begun in 1949 by Jean Bruce. Whatever pleasures these books may have offered as literature have been obliterated by Jean-François Halin’s meandering screenplay, which is less a story than a series of not-terribly-funny “SNL” skits.
At least Dujardin absolutely nails OSS 117, a nattily tailored, smugly obtuse know-nothing imperialist who storms out of his hotel in a bathrobe to beat up a muezzin who has interrupted his sleep with the morning call to worship. Told by his native Girl Friday (Bérénice Bejo) that her faith prohibits her from consuming alcohol, OSS 117 demands to know what kind of stupid religion she subscribes to.
Remember, OSS 117 is supposed to be the French Secret Service’s Middle East expert.
Director Michel Hazanavicius does a nice job of re-creating the Cairo of 50 years ago, especially the fashions that seem to have been plucked from vintage issues of Playboy and Vogue. But those looking for big laughs will leave disappointed. “OSS 117” barely qualifies as comic.
‘OSS 117’ ★★
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo
No MPAA rating. Contains comic violence and sexuality. French with subtitles
Running time: 1:39
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