Faites sauter la banque! (1964)
Directed by Jean Girault

Film Review

This light-weight caper comedy is brought to life by a typically ebullient performance from Louis de Funès, at a time when the actor was just beginning to achieve stardom in France after almost two decades of virtual anonymity despite over a hundred film appearances. The film was directed by Jean Girault whose most memorable and successful collaboration with de Funès, the Gendarme series, was just around the corner. Immediately prior to this, Girault and de Funès had scored a notable box office hit with Pouic-Pouic (1963), the film that finally made the comic actor a star.

Although pretty lowkey compared with de Funès's later comedy extravaganzas (which include the perennial favourite La Grande vadrouille (1966)), Faites sauter la banque still has great entertainment value, thanks to a script that abounds with quick-fire jokes and comic situations and some unremittingly potty performances.  In addition to de Funès, it is worth watching out for Georges Wilson's spiteful policeman and Jean Lefebvre's oddly philosophical road digger. Jean-Pierre Marielle, another immensely talented actor, puts in an appearance near the star of his illustrious career and Claude Piéplu, as ever, gives great value in an early role. Originally released in black and white, the film has recently been made available in a colour version.  Fans of the great Louis de Funès are unlikely to be disappointed with this amusing film which might well have been titled Du rififi chez les clowns.

Film Synopsis

Victor Garnier is the proud owner of a little shop that sells fishing tackle.  On the advice of his banker, André Durand-Mareuil, he invests his entire savings in shares in an oil company that are expected to leap in value at any moment.  In fact, the share price collapses immediately after the transaction has been completed and Victor is left without a bean.  Ruined and bitter, the infuriated shopkeeper decides to take his revenge by robbing Durand-Mareuil's bank, which just happens to be across the road from his shop.

Victor's family appear to be as enthusiastic about the criminal escapade as he is.  With their help, Victor hastily sets about digging a tunnel under the road, confident that he can break into the bank's underground vaults and steal what he believes to be a fair compensation for all the money he has lost through his ill-advised speculation.  All goes well until his daughter Isabelle brings home her new boyfriend Philippe to meet her family.  It turns out that Philippe is a trainee banker who has just started working for the loathed Durand-Mareuil...