OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)

Secret agent OSS 117 foils Nazis, beds local beauties, and brings peace to the Middle East.

Director:

Michel Hazanavicius

Writers:

Jean-François Halin (scenario), Jean Bruce (novel)

Stars:

Jean Dujardin, François Damiens, Khalid Maadour

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Dujardin	...	Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, alias OSS 117
François Damiens	...	Raymond Pelletier
Khalid Maadour	...	Le suiveur
Youssef Hamid	...	L'imam
Arsène Mosca	...	Loktar
Constantin Alexandrov	...	Setine
Claude Brosset	...	Le patron
Laurent Bateau	...	Gardenborough
Saïd Amadis	...	Le ministre égyptien
Eric Prat	...	Plantieux
Abdellah Moundy	...	Slimane (as Abdallah Moundy)
Philippe Lefebvre	...	Jack Jefferson
Richard Sammel	...	Moeller
Aure Atika	...	La princesse Al Tarouk
Bérénice Bejo	...	Larmina El Akmar Betouche

Storyline

An homage to classic spy films. It's 1955 and after a fellow agent and close friend disappears, secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, a.k.a. OSS 117, is ordered to take his place at the head of a poultry firm in Cairo. This is to be his cover while he is busy investigating, foiling Nazi holdouts, quelling a fundamentalist rebellion, and bedding local beauties.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | spy | bound and gagged | arms tied overhead | lingerie slip | 

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Taglines:

The Prride of French Intelligence

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Music Box Films [United States] Official site [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French Arabic German

Release Date:

9 May 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies

Filming Locations:

Devant la mairie, avenue Mohamed VI, El Djadida, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

EUR14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,418, 11 May 2008

Gross USA:

$303,543

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,041,621

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont, Mandarin Films, M6 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Scenes of this film were shot in Casablanca, Morocco, at the "Habuse", a tourist area with many shops as well as homes, with small alleyways. The shopkeepers were paid a days projected income to close shop for the day. One homeowner's doorway was to be prominently featured, but the man would not step out of his doorway. He was trying to squeeze more money out of the producers. As a result, the crew built a back-drop made with some 2X4's and a Moroccan rug. About 20 minutes later several conservative Muslims staged a sit-in to try to get money. The filmmakers decided to shoot elsewhere in the city.

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Goofs

When OSS 117 learns to count in Arabic, Larmina coaches him: "Wahed, Jouj...". She should be counting in Egyptian Arabic, but instead she uses Moroccan Arabic. An Egyptian would not use (or understand) "Jouj" for two. The word is "Itnayn".

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Quotes

Larmina El Akmar Betouche: My father was a great man. If he hadn't played paddle ball, he would have led the revolution!

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Connections

Spoofs From Russia with Love (1963)

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Soundtracks

Un clair de Lune à Maubeuge
Written by Pierre Perrin (as P. Perrin), Claude Blondy (as C.L. Blondy)
© Les Editions Musicales Caravelle
Avec l'aimable autorisation de Universal Music Projets Spéciaux

User Reviews

Fun and amusing spoof , vividly performed by Oscar winner recently , Jean Dujardin

A spoof on James Bond about OSS operative stunningly performed by Jean Dujardin . Comedy spy-thriller with Jean Dujardin as inept secret agent versus nasty high-ranking Nazis and arms smugglers . Secret agent OSS 117 foils Nazis , beds local beauties , and brings peace as well as mayhem to Cairo . It's 1955 by time of dictator Nasser and the secret agent Hubert Bonisseur De la Bath, a.k.a. OSS 117 is ordered a dangerous investigation in Cairo , there he has to take his place at the head of a poultry firm . Hubert Bonisseur is the French spy considered by his superiors to be the best in the business , this time his assistant is the charming Egiptyan agent Larmina performed by Berenice Bejo , director's wife . He's been sent on a mission to El Cairo , Port Said , to look for a former agent who has been eliminated . His eventful mission takes him all across Egypt accompanied by a beautiful girl and taking on a lot of adventures , risks and double-crosses . The man is charming , and so is the young girl spy . Filmed on luxurious sets their tale is by turns an exciting intrigue and a love story . He acts as a playboy , this results to be his cover while he is busy investigating , foiling Nazi holdout and bedding local beauties . Hubert Bonisseur De la Bath, a French spy, is in Cairo to investigate the disappearance a French agent . He is he smart spy , or is he an imbecile ? He fights well but he's supremely smug and self-confident, even as he's deaf to cultural nuance and others' feelings , so the odds are even that he might survive .

Funny moments along with embarrassing in this first entry about secret agent OSS 117 with a likable Jean Dujardin , role of the accidental spy who doesn't know fear or danger in this comedy spy-thriller . In this entertaining adventure , the most unlikely intelligence officer in French Secret Service must stop a group of international Nazi conspirators , quelling a fundamentalist rebellion and deal with an intrigue about weapon smuggling . Hubert Bonisseur, a French secret agent who dreams of rising beyond his menial job within the OSS organization, after all the other agents are bumped off is hired to discover a mysterious ring . With one shot at redemption, he must employ all kind of means to unravel a web of conspiracy that runs throughout an ambitious plot . Hubert must use every trick in his play-book to achieve his objectives . For Hugo Bonisseur, disaster may be an option, but failure never is.

This original installment is an acceptable comedy though the formula is well known with 'The Pink Panther' series and recently with 'Johnnny English' by Rowan Atkinson . It stars clumsy Jean Dujardin as one man show accompanied by a gorgeous Berenice Bejo . The movie gets entertaining and hilarious moments here and there. This slapstick picture contains amusing , funny scenes , fresh and diverting moments but also flaws and gaps . Jean Dujardin steals the show parodying the ordinary international secret agent , James Bond-alike , including his ordinary faces , grimaces and gestures ; he plays stunningly the highly unorthodox agent, the inept and bungler secret agent from OSS . There appears two beauties as Berenice Bejo and Aure Atica . The actors seem to enjoy themselves immensely giving funny interpretations . Lively and atmospheric music by Ludovic Bource . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Schiffman . Other films about this famous spy are the followings : "O.S.S. 117 Is Not Dead" with Ivan Desny ; "Panic en Bangkok" with Kerwin Mathews ; "OSS 117: Mission for a Killer" with Frederick Stafford ; "OSS 117 Double Agent" played by John Gavin and "Vendetta of espies" performed by Luc Merenda .

The film was well penned and directed by Michel Hazanavicius that maintains the slapstick franchise . He also directed in similar style to the original film a sequel titled ¨OSS 117 Lost in Rio¨ with Jean Dujarjin , Rudiger Vogler and Louise Monot . Director and actors , Dujardin and Berenice Bejo , will repeat in the successful and recent ¨The artist¨ including Golden Globes and Oscars . Several chuckles and gags , the result of which is one acceptable entry on spoof genre . The flick will appeal to comedy buffs and Jrean Dujardin fans .