Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
1981. Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, aka OSS 117, is back. For this new mission – more delicate, more dangerous and more torrid than ever – he is forced to team up with a young new colleague, the promising OSS 1001.
The third OSS 117 film struggles to recapture the sharp satirical energy of its predecessors. The formula of skewering a clueless, racist, sexist French spy is noticeably tired by this entry, and the jokes feel more labored than inspired. Jean Dujardin still commits to the role with charm, but the dynamic with OSS 1001 doesn't generate the chemistry needed to freshen things up. Cinematography maintains the period-pastiche aesthetic competently but without the crispness of the earlier films. The ending is underwhelming, leaving little sense of satisfying payoff. Novelty suffers most — what was once a brilliantly original parody concept has become increasingly formulaic and self-referential without adding meaningful new dimensions.