Le Cerveau

Deservedly one of the most famous Belmondo movies, it will always have room in my schedule. A truly excellent and crazy script that doesn’t have any weak spots, a swashbuckling Belmondo in his tried and true goofy self, Big Boss David Niven, and western legend Eli Wallach, and all that is still very poor advertisement for the heap of original fun this film offers. The ending may be a bit overdone and contrived, but I still rank his crime-comedy among the best ones ever made. 85% (13/10/2012)

A star-studded film that extravagantly showcases famous actors, content-wise reminiscent of the Pink Panther film series, which is a quirky detective story with peculiar characters, cunning criminals, plenty of coincidences, misunderstandings, and gaffes. I would have given it four stars, but I cannot help but feel that this film has been affected by the passage of time, and many of the gags no longer work or only partially work. Nevertheless, much more could have been extracted from this screenplay. Overall impression: 55%. (04/08/2009)

An undignified blemish on the filmography of all four leads. Especially Wallach and Niven, I felt genuinely sorry for them, and the scenes on the deckchairs or the fireworks shootout made me feel embarrassed for them. Other than the music, nothing works in The Brain, and the comedy least of all. (29/01/2008)