Double zéro (2004)
Directed by Gérard Pirès

Film Review

After the phenomenal success of La Tour Montparnasse infernale (2001), the popular comedy duo Éric and Ramzy did not delay their return to the big screen, hoping to make an even bigger splash with this blockbuster thriller parody. The film's director, Gérard Pirès, already had one major success in the bag - Taxi (1998) - so producer Thomas Langmann must have felt confident that he was on to a sure-fire winner. With its exotic locations, lavish sets and feisty action sequences that could almost rival the latest James Bond movie, Double zéro tries hard to be an exciting send-up of the familiar spy thriller genre, but it somehow manages to fall wide of the mark.

Most of the jokes are infantile beyond belief, the plot is a ramshackle mess of tired comicbook ideas and, whilst they are evidently having the time of their lives, Éric and Ramzy are pretty well wasted, failing to deliver the kind of innovative and anarchic comedy that made their earlier film so enjoyable.  The supporting cast (which includes François Berland and Didier Flamand) look as if they are having a hard job taking any of this seriously, and the least said about Edouard Baer's camp take on a Bond villain the better. Double zéro was originally intended to be a remake of John Landis's 1985 film Spies Like Us, but it somehow ended up as a chaotic low-brow spoof, with one or two good visual gags unceremoniously buried in a tedious spectacle of tomfoolery and pointlessly showy CGI special effects. There are one or two fun moments along the way but overall this overblown comedy is a massive let-down.

Film Synopsis

When a top secret nuclear missile is stolen, the French Security Services quickly arrive at the conclusion that there is a traitor in their midst.  Is it desperation or supreme cunning that leads them to recruit two hapless civilians in the hope of recovering this weapon of mass embarrassment?  Whatever the reason, Ben and Will, whose only qualification for the assignment is an incurable addiction to video games, are soon living out an action-packed James Bond adventure for real.  Never for one moment does it occur to these two Grade One imbeciles that they might be just decoys, intended to distract the enemy whilst the real French secret agents are busy carrying out their vital mission unnoticed.  In a race against time that takes them from Paris to Jamaica, our two gullible heroes will have their resources stretched to the limit (and beyond) as they take on the formidable Natty Dreads and her army of top models, before confronting their real enemy, Le Mâle - all for the glory of France and, well, because they've nothing much else on at the moment...