The Fugitives (1986)

Jean is taken hostage at a bank by a foolish bank robber. As Jean left prison an hour earlier, the police assume he's the robber. Everything goes comically wrong. The robber's little daughter joins the fugitives.

Director:

Francis Veber

Writer:

Francis Veber

Stars:

Pierre Richard, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Carmet

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pierre Richard	...	François Pignon
Gérard Depardieu	...	Jean Lucas
Jean Carmet	...	Martin
Maurice Barrier	...	Superintendant Duroc
Jean Benguigui	...	Labib
Roland Blanche	...	Idriss
Anaïs Bret	...	Jeanne
Philippe Lelièvre	...	Adjoint de Duroc
Yveline Ailhaud	...	Femme-flic
Didier Pain	...	Maître-chien
Marc Adjadj
Alain Algara
Eric Averlant
Jean-Pierre Becker
Pierre Belot

Storyline

Coming out from jail, Lucas has decided to change his life and behave like a good citizen. But when he is taken hostage in a bank by a hare-brained robber, no cops can believe he is not part of this action.

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Plot Keywords:

police detective | heist gone wrong | gunshot wound | farce | car accident | 

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Taglines:

The oddest "odd couple" from "Les Comperes" are back in a gag-filled comic masterpiece of role reversal and farcical misadventure.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Francis Veber: [François Pignon] features a likeable idiot called François Pignon.

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Connections

Featured in Francis Veber artisan du rire: La saga Pignon (2001)

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Soundtracks

I Know It's A Lie
Written by Vladimir Cosma
Performed by Karoline Krüger

User Reviews

A very funny French comedy

There is one thing the Americans are good at: taking a perfectly good French Movie and totally stuffing it up – and they change very little in it as well. This movie is the original French version of what became Three Fugitives, and this movie is by far the better.

What is amazing is that the two movies are almost identical, right down to the scene where the robber has a stocking over his head, and when he removes a pin from a grenade, the stocking melts, but it is done far better in the French movie than it is done in the American.

Basically the movie is about a professional bank robber who is released from gaol and happens to end up in a bank that is held up, and he is taken hostage. Because the police do not trust him, they accuse him of robbing the bank. The third fugitive is a little girl who has not spoken since her mother died.

The basic themes of this movie is about relationships, and how one's actions can destroy the lives of more than one person. Here the bank robber not only upsets his life, but also the life of his little girl and the recently released convict. He believes that by doing this he will help out his little girl, but in the end he ends up hurting her. It is also interesting to see that the convict has a human heart (what else is he going to have?). What I mean is that he acts with a cold and mean demeanor, but in truth he does care for the girl, and the robber who is really just stupid.

This is a cute little film, especially the one made in France. The little girl is just adorable, and her sad demeanor does tear your heart.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

17 December 1986 (France)

Also Known As:

Fugitives

Filming Locations:

Bordeaux, Gironde, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fideline Films, DD Productions, EFVE

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1