The Corsican File (2004) User Reviews

Great fun

[craigthomas691 · 7/10 · 20 December 2012]

I watched this movie last night and loved it.

From the opening scene where the caricatured bumbling mainland police are foiled by the caricatured independantist locals, I was laughing my head off.

Remi the private detective from Paris is hired on a commercial matter to go to Corsica to find Ange Leoni, the independantist who happens to be on the run from police.

Many farcical scenes ensue as Remi comes up against a closed culture while Ange plays cat and mouse with the police. Meanwhile rival gangs of independantists and rival judicial organisations all vie with each other for influence and control over events with mostly ridiculous results.

I've never been to Corsica, but if you've ever read "Asterix in Corsica", you will understand what all the jokes are about, although I doubt this movie would be anywhere near as much fun with subtitles.

The deliberately thick patois at the start is only there for colour - the rest of the movie is in lightly southern-accented French.

Very funny

[Luigi Di Pilla · 6/10 · 20 September 2005]

I heard from this funny movie when I spent my summer holidays 2005 on the isle of Corsica with my family. Fortunately I had the opportunity watching it on the ferry leaving the isle. I have to say that it's long time ago I didn't see such a great film. It shows many parodies about Corsicas political and cultural life mixed with very nice setting places of this beautiful isle. Christian Clavier and Jean Reno did a very solid job and were very cool. If you want to spend a relaxed evening then don't miss it. If you enjoyed it I highly recommend to see another great fun movie starring Jean Reno in "Tais-Toi". You won=t regret it. My vote with my wife is 6 out of 10.

No None-Frenchman will understand the jokes...

[BernhardtFrance · 7/10 · 17 February 2006]

It's quite simple: It's almost impossible for foreigners to understand what's going on in this movie. You have to understand that this movie is based on a famous french comic-book. Therefore the jokes are exaggerated and - without any exception - all characters fit into well-known French/Corsican clichés. It's definitely not a big movie - but for Frenchmen (or people living in France, like me) it's at least very amusing. The Corsican landscape is pretty well filmed. Some of the scenes are indeed very stupid and without any logic - but please remember the comic book background. Reno and Clavier are o.k., but the real sensation is the incredibly beautiful leading lady (Ange Leoni's sister) - she is just worth looking this picture.

A film that is lost in translation

[Gordon-11 · 29 September 2007]

This film is about a Parisian detective hunting for a certain influential mob leader in Corsica.

after watching the film, my impression is that a lot of stuff is lost in translation. The film gives me a happy and uplifting impression, along with the sunny and beautiful scenery of Corsica. The budget is good and the sets are beautifully done. Caterina Murino is so beautiful, she steals many of the scenes. As for the plot, sometimes it does not make sense. In one scene, Christian Clavier walks up a church tower, but the next scene he gets out of a police car. What happened there? I have the feeling that certain scenes are meant to be funny, but I fail to grasp it completely. An example is that Christian Clavier endures the choirs at 2 in the morning. It is a fun film to watch, but I think it would have been better if I understood French or their culture.

The Corsican File

[OMTR · 7/10 · 5 August 2019]

The awesome duo, who brought the "Visitors" to the stratospheric level of cult classic of the French cinema, is teaming up again for a pleasant Corsican comedy. However, it does not reach the level of the medieval and temporal epic, nor that of "Welcome to the Sticks" in the same kind of genre.

Comedy about Corsica

[myriamlenys · 7/10 · 20 April 2019]

A private detective is hired in order to trace an elusive man of Corsican origins. It seems like a sweet little job likely to end in general kisses and hugs : he just needs to tell the man that he has inherited a princely mansion. The private detective does not know that he is being used as a means to get close to a prominent member of an armed independence movement...

This comedy provides a light-hearted look at the cultural differences between the mainland French and the Corsicans. To this end, it both uses and subverts a number of cliches, for instance about the famous "Me ? I wouldn't know anything about that" secrecy Corsicans tend to show to outsiders. It also takes a light-hearted look at the local independence movements, their mutual rivalry and their battle with authorities.

It's a decent comedy with good performances, a funny premise and a number of successful jokes. (Watch the scene where the private detective notices a small, nondescript dog and calls it a nice little mongrel. The remark is a treacherous stab in the proudly Corsican heart of the owner, who replies that this is a prize dog of rare and noble race.) Sadly the movie peters out near the end : the last half hour or so could be considerably abridged.

Still, I need to add that it is easy for me to watch the movie with a smile on my lips, since fate has accorded me the luxury of geographical distance : I'm not French, mainland or Corsican. It's entirely possible that people actually confronted with the independence struggle (from whatever angle) might have less reason to smile.

You'd better watch Corse in a tourist guide

[hakapes · 4/10 · 19 January 2005]

Here on the European continent we have the luck to have some good titles from independent studios to freshen up the much standardized Hollywood look. What is more, when such a film comes, it is usually a quality movie so it can keep up with the competition from the US. Therefore I really hoped that after L'Opération Corned-Beef, Les Visiteurs, Tais-toi!, the name of Jean Reno and Christian Clavier, will be a guarantee for a good 2 hours to laugh at - however I hardly had a few minutes to smile tonight.

Christian Clavier plays a detective (Rémi or Jack Palmer) who is sent with a fake story to Corse, to look up Ange Léoni (Jean Reno), leader of the a local terrorist-separatist group. There he meets the stunning sister of Ange, Léa (Caterina Murino) and a lot of trouble.

Unfortunately, despite the good setup and some good names from French comedy, the interpretation is quite week. The almost Miss Italy Caterina Murino playing the sexy diva was the only point of attraction keeping our attention on the screen, at least that of the men audience. Otherwise, frame after frame, the story was getting more and more complicated, ages away from reality, with even more overacting and exaggerated jokes each time. The action movie sequences were of original idea but the usual problem of French action movies, the lack of money, showed.

You can skip this one in peace - 4/10.

A mediocre French comedy

[ophone77 · 6/10 · 30 March 2023]

I watched this film recently on a French public TV station.

In the hope I'll see something in the vein of "Opération Corned Beef", one of my favourite French comedies which also stars Jean Reno and Christian Clavier, I got disappointed by this one. The dialogues between this duo aren't as memorable and performed not as snappy as in the aforementioned film.

Sure the Corsican landscapes and towns captured by this film are beautiful, it's not by coincidence people call Corsica "L'île de beauté" (The island of beauty) and the main actress is very nice to look at, but I think something like the comics album "Astérix en Corse" incapsulates better the Corsican mentality than this film even if there are a lot of parallels between these two.

In the end I have to admit I never read the comics which inspired "L'enquête corse", maybe I would have enjoyed the film more if I did.

Difficult to follow

[pninson · 4/10 · 16 March 2008]

This comedy-thriller is probably a lot funnier if you know something about Corsica. You'll get the general idea, though; but it's not particularly exciting. I admit I did not finish watching it, but I got about halfway through before I decided I really didn't care.

A private eye is hired to find Ange Leoni (Jean Reno), and proceeds to bumble and stumble about the island. His misadventures are mildly funny...

The DVD does not look very good, but a bigger problem is the subtitles. In most outdoor scenes they are not dark enough to be readable, so unless your French is very good, you're going to miss a lot of dialogue. I know enough French to get by, but it's rusty, and this is a very rapid-fire, highly accented regional French that's harder to understand than average.

It's alright

[josephmpapp · 5/10 · 31 March 2017]

Christian Clavier does well when he plays a normal guy and his character works. Jack Palmer (Remi François) is about as straight and narrow as they come. He's good at his job and he doesn't get too distracted. The opening sequence does well to establish his character. He gets pulled into the criminal world of Corsica as he searches for Ange Leoni to let him know about a 2 million euro inheritance.

Catherine Munro is Gorgeous. I couldn't take my eyes off of her for the whole film. She plays Lea, the sister of Agne Leoni (played by Jean Reno). Lea is a smart and beautiful woman who takes a liking to Remi and that doesn't bode well for Ange. As Remi and Lea become closer, Ange becomes more upset and pulls Remi further into the Corsica lifestyle. It's got some good humor and beautiful scenery.

But it falls apart. Some of the jokes and editing don't work for the story. The acting, as far as I can tell, is decent. It's just not as good as it could be. There's something about the flow of scenes that falls short and it doesn't pay off in most scenes. In the end, you would do well to enjoy the scenery (I'm talking Catherine Munro), but you wouldn't be missing much if you didn't watch the whole film.

Very funny!

[alamborn · 10/10 · 27 November 2007]

I saw this movie for the first time last night, and absolutely laughed my head off! I am an American who does speak French, so I don't know what laughs might be "lost in translation" for some non-francophones, but, the sheer comical situations, personalities, and facial expressions, I think are hilarious in any language. The added treat is the extremely lovely settings, indoor and outdoor, where the film takes place. Now I feel I must see Corsica at least once in my lifetime.

Unlike many French films, which are so often self-conscious, unimaginative, and non-spontaneous, "L'enquête corse" is totally spontaneous and refreshing. It delivers!

Enlightening fun about the people of Corse

[Bgs42 · 8/10 · 13 February 2005]

The movies is a quite good one in its category. It will give you some good time and laughs while you follow the story of the detective from Paris and the local people of Corse.

Do not expect deep thoughts, special effects, multimillion setups or Oscar nominee scenes. Just some good time to relax. That's what the film is meant for...

Jean Reno and Christian Clavier will provide you with their acting talent. They are very good at making you smile or laugh. 'Lea' gives something for the eyes. The locals give you some parody of the Corsican historical heritage...

Funny portrait of Corsica

[bertrandlf · 8/10 · 21 July 2008]

A good portrait of Corsica, those who know this part of France will definitely enjoy it. Many actors are actual residents of Corsica, and the ambiance is nicely translated.

Even though the scenario isn't very complicated and elaborated, the story keeps you in and melts with the various aspects of Corsica : beautiful scenery, good charcuterie, good cheese, strong character (chants Corses, gangs preventing over-building), and of course the exquisite Myrte.

Christian Clavier and Jean Reno fit their role very well, a good movie that will make you laugh and want to visit this beautiful part of France.

Hilarious!

[cguldal · 8/10 · 24 March 2016]

I don't know much about Corsica, but it is not hard to imagine that this island stuck rigidly between Italian and French cultures is made fun of often. This hilarious film brings out the beauty of the island and its culture with great humor. Every scene has something hilarious in it. I suppose you do have to start off with an international mind set to enjoy the details. I do not speak any French, but the argument about Corsican ("it's not a dialect, it's a language" "but I understand everything you're saying" "shut up!"), the street names named after Rome and Napoleon, the mutt dog which the "mainlander" French detective calls a mutt and is corrected by an offended bar owner, saying it is a special Corsican breed, the island men singing songs "of Corsican culture" at 2 AM in the morning, the guilt tripping while drinking at the bar, the political separatist factions that are made up of the same group of 20 or so men with ridiculous outfits, the local police vs. crime unit vs. secret police trying to catch Jean Reno's character, Ange... Everything is just hilarious. The ridiculous backward and rural mindset of the locals is juxtaposed with the international tourist destination identity of the island. Everything is, as should be in a comedy like this, a bit over the top, and the locals are not that backward, and the island is just beautiful even in parts that are rural, or maybe especially so... Reno is excellent, as usual. Christian Clavier, probably even more so. The duo have great chemistry. The supporting cast, especially the two men who are Ange's most trusted accomplices, are superbly acted.

Overall, a great crime farce and a heartwarming comedy (with a few bombs... with tampons...)

If you want funny sexy romantic adventure...

[MetroVavin · 10/10 · 26 November 2023]

Some films are just totally delightful.

I love funny movies. I've seen a lot. This is the funniest film I have ever seen by far as measured by the decibels of my laughter. That's an objective fact, not an opinion.

Don't see it with anyone you don't want to see you laughing uncontrollably like a hyena.

The female lead is a heart attack. I mean she probably has to be followed around by a team of paramedics.

This morning I was an atheist. Now I believe in God. Really.

Jean Reno is king, but without her evident ability to portray hyper-realistic emotions we would never buy the romantic sub plot and the movie would fail. She gives the most convincing performance of a top tier cast. Unusually, she enters the film halfway. (Maybe that's to give the other actors a chance. ) It feels like a New Wave element. It smoothly becomes a different film in the middle without losing any cohesion.

The story is fun, unpredictable and engaging. It has the flavor of a more realistic Philippe de Broca, another maker of delightful films.

It has other new wave elements. One I adore is when the plot has been resolved and we expect the film to end, the film just keeps going. You enter much deeper into the world of the film. Another is incidents that just happen. They don't move the plot forward. They add to the simulation of reality because that's how life is. They ornament the film.

The locale is touristic, an unspoiled tropical paradise.

Reviewers mentioned the strange mystifying tower scene. Think about it after the film. When did you last see a film not connect the dots for viewers? Life doesn't always connect the dots for us. Not connecting the dots here is a gift to the viewer (unless I just missed it).

So why the low rating (now 5.8)?

Some have said it could be that the type of verbal humor doesn't survive in the subtitles. To some degree that is true here, but the French reviewers rate it even lower than the Americans or the Russians, so that can't be it. It also can't be that background knowledge of Corsica and France is needed to get it. Maybe it has a type of humor that appeals to a minority who don't find the film.

Or likely the movie is just perfectly tuned to my own minority taste.

So I can promise you that if you are me, you are really going to enjoy this film.