Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Part hackneyed crime caper, part amiable buddy farce, Tais-Toi! (Shut Up!) stars Jean Reno and GΓ©rard Depardieu as an odd couple on the run from gangsters and the law. It's harmless, formulaic stuff, but it's expertly played - particularly by Depardieu - and director Francis Veber applies a surehandedness and a deft turn of pace that keep the laughs ticking over even as the leads scrabble to cover the skinniest of plots.

Reno's Ruby is a coolly professional hardman, bent on taking vengeance on Vogel, the gangster who killed his girlfriend. Arrested after relieving Vogel's thugs of a mountain of cash, Ruby is thrown into a cell with Depardieu's Quentin. A motormouth simpleton whose guileless enthusiasm for conversation is matched by his obliviousness to the fact that no-one can stand him, Quentin latches onto the reluctant Ruby and flukes them a suitably comic escape. Cue all the slapstick violence, car chases, cross-dressing, falling outs and joyous-coming-together-despite-their-differences you'd expect, as they avoid the police, recover Ruby's loot and face down the bad guys.

"LEAVES TIME FOR THE LEADS TO BANTER"

The crime elements of the plot are beyond stale. But by smartly skipping most of the staple crime movie scenes, Veber keeps the going fresh and leaves more time for the leads to banter. All Reno has to do is bolt it down straight and sober; Depardieu is as alive as he's been in years, his wide-eyed fool brimming with glee and humanity, stealing and redeeming the show. Few films this flimsy deserve such excellent luck.

In French with English subtitles.