A lot of fine artists squandered their talents on this crock, not least Jean-Paul Rappeneau, who has written and/or directed - sometimes both in the same project - some excellent movies like Bon Voyage, Cyrano de Bergerac etc. Again maybe it's another case of you had to be there - I've just seen this for the first time exactly fifty years after its initial release - but frankly I was astounded at how banal it was. It is, I have to say, one of those films I've heard good things about for years and is some cases from people whose opinion I respect but against that in each case they watched the initial release. You'll go a long way to find a greater admirer of French cinema than I am which is why I take no pleasure in rating it a mere five. I have in my DVD collection of French films Viper au poing, the last film that Philippe de Broca made and I love it and watch it often. Alas, I can find nothing positive to say about this effort.
Review of That Man from Rio
