Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Doctor Knock is a former thug who has become a doctor and arrives in the small village of Saint-Maurice to make his fortune according to a particular method. It will make the villagers believe that they are not as healthy as they might think. It is thus that he will find in each one an imaginary symptom, or not, and thus will be able to exercise his profession lucratively. Under his seductive looks and after gaining the confidence of the village, Knock is on the verge of achieving his ends. But his past catches up with him and an old acquaintance disrupts the doctor's plans.
Knock (2017) is a French comedy remake of the classic Jules Romains play and earlier film adaptations. The premise of a charming con-doctor convincing healthy villagers they are ill is inherently amusing and the satire of medical authority retains some bite, but the plot feels familiar and the narrative momentum falters in the second half when the 'past catches up' subplot intrudes awkwardly. Acting is competent with Omar Sy bringing charisma to the lead role, though supporting characters remain thinly sketched. Cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable for a village-set comedy. The concept has novelty in its satirical premise but is weighed down by being a well-known remake with few fresh twists. The ending resolves things in a rather conventional and anticlimactic fashion, failing to fully capitalize on the comedic and dramatic tension built earlier.