OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies(2008)- User Reviews

Quick, who's the most clueless international figure about middle eastern manners, customs and religion? Hint: he is NOT president of the United States. OSS 117 is incredible fun with elements of just about every action hero ever, as well as every slapstick and fish-out-of-water comic ever. All wonderfully done, always over the top but never too obvious or too contrived. The actors, all of whom are unknown in the US, play it completely straight and wonderfully. Made in 2006, the film is set in 1955 and is set and staged perfectly.

I am not Muslim and couldn't say whether this would be funny to Muslim people. I will say that if any US studio did this movie, possibly even a UK company, it would probably never have seen the light of day. The fact that the happy-go-lucky French made it makes it all seem like a lark. Jean DuJardin is in production on a second OSS 117 film, which I'll see sooner this time.

Even funnier is the fact that OSS 117 is an actual French literary character, subject of over 200 books and the 007 of the French secret service. There have been serious films made with the character. I bet they weren't as fun as this.