Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Jack Palmer is a Paris-based detective with a huge ego. Ange Leoni is a rebel native of Corsica whose location can't be pinned down by even the most dogged of detectives. Approached by an obscure, small-time attorney and charged with the seemingly simple task of locating the missing Leoni, gifted gumshoe Palmer accepts the job under the assumption that it will be the easiest money of his professional career. But this superstar sleuth is about to find out just how mistaken he was...
The Corsican File is a French comedy adaptation of a comic strip (Les Enquêtes de Muriel) starring José Garcia as the bumbling yet arrogant detective Jack Palmer. The plot is fairly thin and formulaic — a fish-out-of-water detective story wrapped around Corsican independence politics and inheritance intrigue, never rising above its lightweight comic-strip origins. The acting is serviceable with Garcia delivering committed physical comedy, but the ensemble is unremarkable. Corsican scenery provides some visual appeal, giving the cinematography a modest boost. The film offers little novelty, recycling well-worn buddy-comedy and stranger-in-a-strange-land tropes without a distinctive voice. The ending resolves predictably without much payoff. Overall it sits squarely in middling French comedy territory, consistent with its modest reputation.