A radio station hosts a sponsored radio show which combines commercial messages, music hall numbers, lifestyle advice and comforting platitudes. It seems like a pleasant microcosm, where staff and artists do their best to collaborate on the same project, in between well-natured pranks and puns. And surely nothing about such a bland radio programme could be harmful - or could it ? A sudden murder throws a whole different light on these activities...
Part comedy, part mystery thriller, "L'assassin" is not the most successful film around. The plot and screenplay lack focus and discipline, resulting in a number of loose ends and missed opportunities. It also results in a certain unevenness of tone. Moreover, the movie contains some seriously annoying characters.
Still, "L'assassin" is not without a certain dotty charm. This may even be the result of its wandering and meandering nature : you never know what is going to happen next. Watching the movie is somewhat like having to spend your summer vacation with your weird aunt - your know, your aunt Mary, who looks like a cross between a yeti and a flapper in love with Valentino. You may have to spend much of your time sipping criminally hot herbal tea while your aunt goes on and on about chakras and sun signs and reincarnations. On the other hand you might wake up, every now and then, in order to discover that your aunt has cooked you a twenty-course Indian meal, or that you are now the owner of a small silver ring...
The movie is also interesting because it affords a behind-the-scenes look at a medium and an art form which have now gone the way of the brontosaurus. If you, dear reader, are interested in the history of the radio, you might want to combine this movie with "Radio Days" by Woody Allen. It should make for a nicely rounded evening, especially if you arm yourself with a bottle of Martini and with a few good friends who shout "Radio Ga Ga !" at suitable intervals.
Part comedy, part mystery thriller, "L'assassin" is not the most successful film around. The plot and screenplay lack focus and discipline, resulting in a number of loose ends and missed opportunities. It also results in a certain unevenness of tone. Moreover, the movie contains some seriously annoying characters.
Still, "L'assassin" is not without a certain dotty charm. This may even be the result of its wandering and meandering nature : you never know what is going to happen next. Watching the movie is somewhat like having to spend your summer vacation with your weird aunt - your know, your aunt Mary, who looks like a cross between a yeti and a flapper in love with Valentino. You may have to spend much of your time sipping criminally hot herbal tea while your aunt goes on and on about chakras and sun signs and reincarnations. On the other hand you might wake up, every now and then, in order to discover that your aunt has cooked you a twenty-course Indian meal, or that you are now the owner of a small silver ring...
The movie is also interesting because it affords a behind-the-scenes look at a medium and an art form which have now gone the way of the brontosaurus. If you, dear reader, are interested in the history of the radio, you might want to combine this movie with "Radio Days" by Woody Allen. It should make for a nicely rounded evening, especially if you arm yourself with a bottle of Martini and with a few good friends who shout "Radio Ga Ga !" at suitable intervals.
