The Ax Reviews

For many years, I was really eager to check this flick but since it is pretty obscure, the opportunity didn’t arise. However, some day, out of nowhere, it was broadcasted on TV so I still ended up watching the damned thing which was really cool. Indeed, back in the 60's-70's, Costa-Gavras was one of the most highly regarded directors in the world and even though he is nowadays pretty much forgotten, he actually keeps making some movies. This picture was one of his last efforts and even though it didn’t reach the level of his masterpieces like ‘Z’ for example, I still really enjoyed it. Basically, it is something really light and it's a pitch black comedy dealing with your current economic situation. To be honest, very often, I find most of the comedies rather underwhelming because they are just plain stupid but I thought that this one was really sharp and rather well done. Eventually, it was still missing something to become really amazing, maybe it was still too light for my taste. Anyway, to conclude, even though it is not really a great movie, it is still a solid comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Costa-Gavras’s work.

Bruno Davert (Jose Garcia) plays a chemist who loses his job. A few years later, still without a job, he decides to get a job by killing his competition.

A hilarious script, very well adapted from Donald Westlake's novel "The Ax". And superbly directed by Costa-Gavras.

Jose Garcia usually plays in comedies; this film gives him a chance to show a more dramatic and suspense role (the film is nevertheless a comedy), and he does it well.

Fun to watch once.