Monsieur Gangster (1963)

A dying mob boss hands over his business to an old friend, Fernand. The boss' assistants want to get rid of the latter. But are the Volfoni brothers and Théo real threats? Ensuing fights and shootouts are more comical than deadly.

Director:

Georges Lautner

Writers:

Michel Audiard (dialogue), Georges Lautner (dialogue)

Stars:

Lino Ventura, Bernard Blier, Francis Blanche

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lino Ventura	...	Fernand Naudin
Bernard Blier	...	Raoul Volfoni
Francis Blanche	...	Maître Folace
Claude Rich	...	Antoine Delafoy
Pierre Bertin	...	Adolphe Amédée Delafoy
Robert Dalban	...	Jean
Jean Lefebvre	...	Paul Volfoni
Horst Frank	...	Théo
Charles Regnier	...	Tomate
Mac Ronay	...	Bastien
Venantino Venantini	...	Pascal
Sabine Sinjen	...	Patricia
Jacques Dumesnil	...	Louis le Mexicain
Yves Arcanel	...	Le contremaitre de l'usine de Montauban.
Philippe Castelli	...	Le tailleur

Storyline

Ex-gangster Fernand (Lino Ventura) receives a call from a dying friend, a mob boss nicknamed "The Mexican". The doomed mobster talks Fernand into taking care of some criminal business and looking after his soon-to-be-married daughter. When a longtime mobster heavy, Volfoni takes exception to Fernand for being an outsider, they come after Fernand who is equal to the task. He defends himself in a series of comical killings from the onslaught of the mob.

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Plot Keywords:

ex gangster | drinking | gangster | paris france | retired gangster | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Family

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Meurisse: The guy with the monocle saluting Lino Ventura at the end of the movie is Paul Meurisse, a reference to the movie The Black Monocle (1961), also by Georges Lautner.

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Goofs

When punched by Lino Ventura, the wall against which Freddy falls buckles. Georges Lautner points this out in the director's commentary.

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Quotes

Fernand Naudin:

• Patricia, mon petit... Je voudrais pas te paraître vieux jeu, ni encore moins grossier. L'homme de la Pampa parfois rude reste toujours courtois mais la vérité m'oblige à te le dire : ton Antoine commence à me les briser MENUES !

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Connections

Featured in Un jour, un destin: Lino Ventura, les combats d'une vie (2011)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday
(uncredited)
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill

User Reviews

"We're not here to butter sandwiches".

Former taxi driver, sports journalist and all-round 'character' Albert Simonin, wrote his Max le Menteur trilogy in the mid-1950's. All three were filmed but the vagaries of film-making and different directors combined to make each film a separate entity. The only connecting thread between the trio is the splendid dialogue of Michel Audiard. By far the best is of course 'Touchez-pas au Grisbi' featuring Jean Gabin as Max. He turns up again in 'Le Cave se rebiffe' seven years later as a counterfieter named Ferdinand. Two years on we have 'Les Tontons Flingueurs' in which the character has morphed into Fernand and is played by the only actor capable at the time of filling Gabin's shoes, namely Lino Ventura. 'Grisbi' is pure Film Noir whilst 'Le Cave' is a gentle comedy. 'Flingueurs' is made in the same spirit as 'Le Cave' but is anything but gentle! The title literally translates as 'Gun-toting Uncles' which is not exactly 'catchy' but far stronger than the insipid alternative 'Crooks in Clover' which is more appropriate to something made by Ealing Studios. In terms of the mise-en-scene by Georges Lautner the latter is probably the weakest of the three but the characters, the 'slang' and some hilariously comic scenes have made this a cult film in France. To call the characters 'colourful' would hardly do them justice. Fernand's 'business associates' are all simply frightful and utterly devoid of redeeming features but are portrayed as a bunch of clowns and losers, especially the Paul Volfoni of Bernard Blier who suffers from delusions of adequacy. Even the teenage daughter and her composer boyfriend are terminally irritating. The best scene and ironically the one that Audiard liked the least, is where the gangsters bond and try to hold an intelligible conversation whilst imbibing a disgusting alcoholic brew described as 'a mans drink'. Another highlight is the bullet-dodging scene involving Fernand and the half-deaf president of the International Monetary Fund! Blier is as always good value and Ventura's strong presence holds the film together. They both prove that Comedy is most effective when played straight. Liberties have been taken with the original and the mix of Noir/Gangster/Comedy genres is not to everyones taste but the sheer entertainment value of this bizarre, surreal film is undeniable.

Details

Country:

France Italy West Germany

Language:

French German English

Release Date:

27 November 1963 (France)

Also Known As:

Les Tontons Flingueurs

Filming Locations:

Eglise Saint-Germain-de-Charonne, Paris 20, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont Distribution, S.N.E. Gaumont, Corona Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1