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AFM REVIEWS ON GUARD! i^iri^i^m Starring Daniel Auteuil, Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Perez, Marie Gillain, Philippe Soiret and Claire Seboiit. Directed by Philippe De Broca. ^yntten by Philippe De Broca, Jean Cosmos and Jerome Tonnerre. Produced by Patrick Godeau. So distributor set. Action/drama. Sot yet rated. Running time: 128 min. Let it be said that no one does adaptations of great literature quite like the French, and no Frenchman does it with more panache than Philippe De Broca. His latest, "On Guard!." based on Paul Feval's popular 1857 serialized swashbuckler "Le Bossu" ("The Hunchback"), stays true to form, spinning its epic tale of chivalry and treachery with a garganman gusto certain to thrill and delight audiences in all comers of the globe. One of the most splendid entertainments to emerge from the French film industry in years, the $30 million "On Guard!" also features one of the most prestigious ensembles of French talent ever assembled for one project. Set in the waning days of the 17th century, the film tells the story of Lagardere (Daniel Auteuil), a master swordsman turned renegade after his lord, the Duke of Nevers (Vincent Perez), is assassinated by his own cousin, the greedy Gonzague (Fabrice Luchini). Gonzague' s intended mission of eliminating all of the Duke's heirs other than himself, however, is foiled when Lagardere rescues the Duke's infant daughter Aurore, raising her as his own until the day of restitution arrives. Along with his contemporaries Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, Feval embraced a heroic literary ethic that has long been popular with filmmakers. "Le Bossu," in particular, has proven a noteworthy favorite, filmed no fewer than five times previously (the most recent by Andre Hunebelle in 1959). But even the best of these scarcely compares to the achievement of "On Guard! ," a credit to both De Broca' artistry and Auteuil' s magnetism. Like Cyrano de Bergerac, D'Artagnan and the Scarlet Pimpernel all rolled into one, Auteuil' s Lagardere is an irresistible hero, a paragon of nobility and passion surrounded by a spectacle of near perfection, complete with intrigue, action, mystery, suspense and romance. Supporting actors are all similarly outstanding, including memorable turns by Philippe Noiret as the king's Regent and Marie Gillain as the feisty teenaged Aurore. Most importantly, "On Guard!" represents a new level of mastery for De Broca, whose skill with period pageantry here surpasses even his own previous work on "Cartouche" and "Chouans!." Technical credits are equally impressive, including Oscarcaliber contributions from composer Philippe Sarde, costumer Christian Gasc, cinematographer Jean-Francois Robin and art director Bernard Vezat. Lest there be any lingering doubt as to De Broca' s status as a world-class auteur, "On Guard!" provides the answer. Weide Major RHAPSODY IN BLOOM 1^^1/2 Starring Penelope Ann Miller, Ron Silver, Craig Sheffer and Caroline GoodalL Directed by Craig Saavedra. \yritten by Eric Tuchman. Produced by Craig Saavedra and Steven Felder. No distributor set. Romantic comedy. Not yet rated. Running time: 96 min. As romantic comedies go, "Rhapsody in Bloom" would hardly merit mention if not for a wonderful lead performance from the oft-misused Penelope Ann Miller. In a welcome and overdue deviation from the ill-fitting glamour roles that have thus far characterized her brief career. Miller's earthy, spunky girl-next-door Lilah Bloom brings a blissful countenance to an otherwise unremarkable, albeit watchable, movie. Five years after the death of her sister-inlaw, Lilah has become an indispensable part of the Bloom household, a surrogate mother not only to her nephews and niece, but to her widower brother Mitch (Ron Silver) as well. Which makes Mitch's sudden announcement of remarriage to a successful career woman (Caroline Goodall) all the more distressing for Lilah and the children (if they' ve seen "The Sound of Music," they know what's coming). Making matters worse are Mitch's well-intentioned but ultimately disastrous attempts at easing Lilah back into a dating lifestyle. Fortunately for Lilah, a caring sprinkler repairman named Jack (Craig Sheffer) shows up just in time to help restore her self-esteem and satisfy the requisite demands of a blue collar prince charming. While "Rhapsody in Bloom" doesn't take any chances, neither does it necessarily do any&iing wrong, relying entirely on the intuition and chemistry of its stars to generate whatever spontaneity and emotional honesty might be lacking in the material. Formnately, to the credit of the cast and director Eric Tuchman, the tactic isn't wholly unsuccessful, yielding several memorable, standout scenes almost worthy of a better movie. Whether it all works well enough to sidestep pay television and merit a theatrical release is the more difficult question. — Wade Major THE BOYS •••1/2 Starring Marc Messier, Remy Girard, Patrick Huard, Serge Theriault, Yvan Ponton. Paul Houde, Michel Barrette, Luc Guerin, Patrick Labbe and Pierre Lebeau. Directed by Louis Saia. Written by Christian Fournier. Produced by Richard Goudreau. A Lions Gate release. Comedy. French-language: subtitled Notyet rated Running time: 108 min. The biggest hometown hit in the history of French Canadian cinema, 'The Boys" is a rousing, raucous blue-collar ensemble comedy so delightfully entertaining that even the most die-hard subtitle-phobics may be unable to resist its charms. Moreover, with a sequel and a possible Englishlanguage remake already in the works, the film is proving to be a winning franchise even before it hits U.S. screens. Best described as "The Full Monty" on ice, "The Boys" centers on the camaraderie of a group of middle-aged amateur hockey players from various walks of life (surgeon, real estate agent, cop, hippie burnout, etc.) who cast aside their respective differences and life challenges each Saturday to indulge their worship of the legendary Guy Lafleur. But even the ice carmot shield them from the real world forever, as they discover when their beloved coach and owner of their favorite bar, Stan (Remy Girard). confesses to an insurmountable gambling debt to a local mobster named Meo (Pierre Lebeau). Paying the debt will likely cost Stan his bar—unless "The Boys" can beat Meo's own hand-picked team of ruthless hockey roughnecks. Suffice to say that it is not the film's simple "sports underdog" story that has audiences cheering (the climactic hockey game alone consumes nearly half the film's running time), but rather its colorful characterizations and the honest, heartfelt manner in which the characters relate to one another. As such, "The Boys" just may be the best buddy-bonding movie ever made, offering a fiiimy , touching and brutally honest view of fraternity that not only doesn't pull its pimches, but throws a few of its own as well. Even more significant from a Canadian perspective, however, is the film's role in calling attention to an exceptional new breed of commercially-minded French-Canadian filmmakers, including first-time screenwriter Christian Foumier, secondtime director Louis Saia ("Le Sphinx") and four-time producer Richard Goudreau, on whose loosely semi-autobiographical original story the film is based. Wade Major BALLISTIC KISS ^^^1/2 Starring Donnie Yen Chi-tan, Jimmy Wong Ka-lok and Annie Wu Chenjun. Directed by Donnie Yen Chi-tan. Written by Bey Logan. Produced by Donnie Yen Chitan. So distributor set. Action/thriller. Running time: 89 min. One of the more unusual efforts to emerge from Hong Kong of late, "Ballistic Kiss" draws upon both action and art film influences, fusing a variety of familiar themes and styles to create a surprisingly serious and introspective thriller with distinctly higher crossover and remake appeal than the usual Cantonese actioner. At first glance, the film might seem to be Uttle more than a vehicle for action star Donnie Yen ("Wing Chun"), one of Hong Kong's most enduring and popular supporting players. But "Ballistic Kiss" soon makes its more sophisticated intentions clear, lacing an otherwise conventional "corrupt cops and gangsters" tale with a darkly poetic view of human nature. Yen, who also produced and directed, stars as Cat, an ex-cop turned hitman after serving a prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit. Still bitter at having been framed by his corrupt then-partoer Wesley (Jinuny Wong Ka-lok), Cat emerges ft^om
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