When Ousmane Diakhité’s (Omar Sy, Mood Indigo) phone rings, the Beverly Hills Cop theme plays. When rifling through his DVD collection, his new partner François Monge (Laurent Lafitte, Bright Days Ahead) spies both the Lethal Weapon and 48 Hrs series on his shelves. Ousmane’s idea of being a police officer is innately linked to the careening characters he idolises on screen, acting first and asking questions later is almost his mantra. The parallels fit like a glove, for Ousmane could have stepped right out of a buddy cop comedy from the 1980s.
On the Other Side of the Tracks (De l’autre côté du périph) shows no fear in celebrating its idolatry of the broad offerings of genial action and amusement that were once a cinema staple; indeed, its entire duration is fashioned in their image. For local context, Ousmane’s embodiment of the film’s American inspiration is balanced with François’s fondness for 1981 French hit The Professional, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo – the chalk to his cheese, quite obviously. The contrast adds colour, but remains superficial. This is as close to a direct import of its more blatant influences as could be imagined.
When the wealthy wife of an industry boss is found dead near a dumpster, risk-taking, street-smart fraud cop Ousmane is paired with career-focused, desk-bound crime squad detective François to find her killer. The former hails from the gritty Bobigny, outside the French capital, the latter is accustomed to the finer side of Parisian life – and, of course, their differences don’t stop there. As Ousmane follows an illegal gambling investigation six months in the making, François is more worried about his potential promotion. The more time they spend together, though, the more their individual traits rub off on each other.
For all the inescapable derivation in writer/director David Charhorn’s second feature after 2009’s Cyprien, its liberal borrowings work in its favour; the film’s passionate pleas to recreate the much-adored concept and content shine through in homage. That six other scribes – producers Eric Altmayer and Nicolas Altmayer (In the House), star Lafitte, Alexis Dolivet (TV’s Lascars), and collaborators Remy Four and Julien War (J’aime beaucoup ta mere) – were needed to flesh out the idea to script stage indicates the varying quality of many of the jaunts and jokes that make the final mix, but enthusiasm still reigns supreme. On the Other Side of the Tracks is as paint-by-numbers as such an offering can get, and also as jubilant, relishing its use of all the genre trappings.
Competence seethes through the film’s collection of standard elements: the action, be it tense car chases or thrilling shoot-outs, is shot and handled competently; the gag-heavy scenes, including an undercover stint in a sex club, balance the drama with comedy; the attempts at heightening the emotion, particularly through the involvement of Ousmane’s son, are slight but effective. As with all of its ilk, such technical and narrative efficiency lives and dies with the accompanying performances, and it is here that On the Other Side of the Tracks best makes its presence felt. By design and with intention, the delightful Sy and the straight-laced Lafitte are an apt double act, helping carry the feature in its lesser moments. The surrounding clichés and conventions remain apparent, but the spirited central partnership rightfully draws focus, in perhaps the most important hallmark of all modestly entertaining buddy cop efforts.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
On the Other Side of the Tracks (De l’autre côté du périph)
Director: David Charhon
France, 2012, 96 mins
Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
www.affrenchfilmfestival.org
Sydney: 4 – 23 March
Melbourne: 5 – 23 March
Canberra: 6 – 25 March
Brisbane: 6 – 25 March
Perth: 18 March – 6 April
Adelaide: 20 March – 8 April
Byron Bay: 24 – 28 April
