Abenteuer in Venedig

This is the third and last adventure of bold, cock-eyed, seductive reporter Georges Masse, with Raymond Rouleau once again lending the film his male charm and cool arrogance. The writer is one more time Michel Audiard. And André Hunebelle still directs. In other words, nothing new under the sun. In "Massacre en dentelles" - just like in "Mission à Tanger" (1949) and in "Méfiez-vous des blondes" (1950) -, Georges Masse, "assisted" by his blundering heavy-drinking photographer P'tit Louis (Bernard La Jarrige), investigates, meets up with a bunch of hoodlums and comes through with flying colors. The result is just so-so: Hunebelle does know the ropes of his trade and his film is well-paced and well edited. He also makes good use of the Venice locations and Michel Audiard is at his usual best when it comes to dialogue : his witty lines pop up throughout and bite home as usual. Unfortunately, the story is so trite, the situations so stale, that the viewer rapidly loses interest in this strictly run-of-the-mill product. Being a good craftsman helps André Hunebelle to make a watchable entertainment but definitely not to give us a memorable work.