Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, better known by the code name OSS 117, will return on April 14 for the third installment of the trilogy that began in 2006. Directed by Nicolas Bedos, _OSS 117: Red Alert in Black Africa_ is the most anticipated French film of 2021?
A Worrisome Change of Director?
Following the first two episodes orchestrated by Michel Hazanavicius with _OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies_ (2006) and _OSS 117: Lost in Rio_ (2009), he now hands over the reins to his counterpart Nicolas Bedos. This announcement has greatly perturbed early fans who viewed this change with a wary eye. A fracture that could distort everything that made the charm of the diptych. Nonetheless, the script is still helmed by Jean-François Halin, which might reassure the more skeptical fans.
A Teaser Sweeping Away Doubts?
All these fears gradually dissipated (for some) when Gaumont released the teaser for the third opus. We find a Jean Dujardin still as charismatic and arrogant with dark humor at every turn. It is the personality of this unfiltered and condescending character that brings all the originality to these fictional works. It’s a breath of fresh air for French cinema and its viewers, who really need it in these times of a global pandemic. A breath of fresh air that Nicolas Bedos reiterated on RTL radio:
“[…] Gaumont has absolutely not stripped the film of its extraordinary irreverence. The character is dumber than ever. With Jean, we would sometimes say on set: ‘It feels good.’ […] This kind of self-censorship and moral mothballing that is descending on our societies has never been stronger than now, and it’s even stronger than last year. So, I love this project more and more.”
The announcement of the change of director and the teaser have ignited debates, and that’s unlikely to stop after its theater release on April 14.
Synopsis:
It is 1981, and fourteen years have passed since Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath’s (aka OSS 117) last mission in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For this new mission, more delicate, more perilous, and hotter than ever, he is forced to team up with a young colleague, the promising OSS 1001.
