Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Cruchot's police office moves into a new building. They do not only get high tech equipment, but also four young female police officers to educate. All of them scramble to work with them -- and cause pure chaos while being distracted by the fine ladies. Then they get into real trouble when one after the other of their female colleagues is kidnapped.
The sixth and final entry in the Gendarme series starring Louis de Funès is a tired, formulaic send-off that recycles the franchise's familiar slapstick gags with diminishing returns. The plot—female officers cause chaos and then get kidnapped—is thin and predictable, combining two sitcom premises without much invention. De Funès remains a reliably energetic performer, but the supporting cast is largely functional rather than memorable. The cinematography is workmanlike and unambitious, typical of late French boulevard comedy productions. As a sequel in a long-running series with no real attempt to reinvent itself, Novelty is low; it essentially repeats the formula of prior entries while swapping in a contemporary angle with computers and policewomen. The ending is perfunctory, wrapping things up without much emotional payoff or comedic escalation.