THE TIGER BRIGADES is essentially Les Untouchables, as four cops (of the newly formed Mobile Brigades; essentially a French version of the FBI or Flying Squad) in 1912 take on a bunch of anarchist robbers who have stolen a coded ledger that contains all sorts of secrets that the rich and aristocratic don't want known. Added to this there's a Russian princess with anarchist sympathies, the upcoming signing of the Triple Entente pact and a financial conspiracy. Adapted from the popular 70s TV series, it's a well-made film that never quite lifts off, largely because the main characters aren't all that interesting; often it feels like large chunks of their back-stories were left on the cutting room floor. That said it cracks along at quite a pace, utilising the period's charm - including a slow chase between a crude car and a bicycle, and a farmhouse shootout which the aristocracy watch as if it was a bird shoot - before climaxing at the opera with a nod towards Eisenstein (think Ivan Grozny). It's the sort of film where the subject matter is more interesting than the drama itself; highly watchable without being overly memorable.
Review of The Tiger Brigades
