San-Antonio (2004)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Frédéric Auburtin

Writers:

Frédéric Dard (novels)
Laurent Touil-Tartour (writer)

Release Date:

21 July 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Action

Plot:

While a terrorist epidemy strikes the world leaders, the commissaire San-Antonio and his partner, the lieutenant Bérurier...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Italian Woman | Based On Novel

Cast

Gérard Lanvin	...	Antoine San-Antonio
Gérard Depardieu	...	Lieutenant Alexandre-Benoît Bérurier
Lucy Harrison	...	La masseuse
Patrick Médioni	...	Van Gogh
Valeria Golino	...	L'Italienne / The Italian woman
Marc Faure	...	Son Excellence
Michèle Bernier	...	Berthe Bérurier
Marie-Thérèse Arène	...	Félicie
Bill Barclay	...	L'Écossais
Nick Hobbs	...	Lord Kensington
Michel Galabru	...	Achille, le chef de la police (chief of police)
Vanessa Guedj	...	La soubrette
Robert Hossein	...	Le ministre de l'intérieur / The Minister
Guilhem Pellegrin	...	Le secrétaire de l'Elysée
Jérémie Renier	...	Toinet San-Antonio (San-Antonio's son)

Also Known As:

Spy Zone (Italy) (DVD title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

France | Italy | UK

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Bude, Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Hirsch

Trivia:

The books are among the biggest French best-sellers and Frédéric Dard wrote nearly 200 novels about the cop between 1949 and 2001 (his death). Now, his son Patrice Dard continues his work.

San Antonio is definitely not James Bond

San Antonio (2004), directed by Frédéric Auburtin, was shown at the 2005 Cinefranco Film Festival in Toronto. (www.cinefranco.com)

The film is an uninspired, weak takeoff on the James Bond movies. Bond, of course, is considered highly desirable by the attractive women he meets. San Antonio's attractions are apparently far beyond Bond's level--almost every woman he meets will do whatever San Antonio wishes just for the privilege of a few moments of bliss in his arms.

The film goes beyond being sexist--it's painfully misogynistic in a unpleasant way that I didn't find funny.

The single--but interesting--redeeming feature of the movie was the fact that San Antonio has a partner--Lieutenant Alexandre-Benoît Bérurier, played by Gérard Depardieu.

It's worth the price of admission--almost--to see Depardieu cast against type as the flabby, slothful, bumbling sidekick to the handsome, competent San Antonio.

If you can ignore the plot and concentrate on Depardieu's acting, you could possibly enjoy this film. Otherwise, stay away.