Not all successes of yesteryear stand the test of time. ‘Les Ripoux‘ (‘My New Partner‘ in English distribution) is one of the successful films of Claude Zidi, a director who was very popular in the 70s and 80s, especially with his comedies. The film received three César awards, was a considerable domestic success and was the head of a series of three films with the same main heroes. I didn’t see the film when it was released, but I had high hopes for solid entertainment thanks to the cast and its belonging to the genre of French crime comedies that often gave me healthy laughs. I confess that I was partially disappointed. ‘Les Ripoux‘ has not aged very well, many of the gags and effects have completely or partially faded out, and the schematism of the formula is too obvious, despite the nostalgia. There remains, of course, the pleasure of viewing two great actors together, but that is not enough.
The main hero in ‘Les Ripoux‘ is a corrupt policeman from a Parisian arrondissement. He takes bribes here and there, from shop owners and organizers of clandestine gambling, eats for free in restaurants and – without shame and without paying – grabs pork legs from the butcher in the market. He squanders his money on horse races and gifts for bosses. Everyone seems happy, especially since he doesn’t make many arrests either, as the police station had received a warning note about making too many arrests because the jails are overcrowded. His life gets a little complicated when a young inspector from the province lands as his partner, inexperienced but enthusiastic and apparently incorruptible. How will the two get along and which one of them will lead the other on the path he sees as the good one?
Philippe Noiret was already an established, popular and award-winning actor, loved by the public and appreciated by critics. Thierry Lhermitte, although much younger, had also recorded some successes in theater and film and was at that time on the rise. The two work very well together and make up one of the first partner cop couples in a series that has become something of a sub-genre of cop comedies in general. Their acting peering is the strong point of the film along with Francis Lai‘s music. The premises of a good cops comedy exist. The comic effect and success with the audience was, I think, mainly due to the sharp and unmitigated satire of corruption – personal and systemic – in the police. None of the characters, from the ordinary inspectors to the minister of the interior, seems to be safe from moral contamination. Perhaps the film’s lack of impact today and the feeling of ‘déjà vu’ is also due to the fact that we, the viewers, have become somewhat accustomed to encountering and tolerating these misdeeds in everyday life?