Five years after Le Cop introduced two crooked comedy plainclothesmen bumbling around the low-life of Montmartre on the make, this sequel tells the tale of, er, two crooked comedy plainclothesmen bumble around the low-life of Montmartre on the make.
Rene (Noiret), the old hand, is nearing retirement - a fact of which he is constantly reminded by those who wish him ill - and determined to prove he's the same top cop he always was. Francois (Lhermitte), however, the handsome junior partner, has decided to go straight in the quest for promotion. The reluctant Rene is forced to co-operate but, when the pair's first virtuous act leads to them being framed on a corruption charge, they revert to type.
Audiences who saw the original Le Cop will know exactly what to expect here and, by the same token, whether or not they want to see the sequel. This one is jam-packed with plot: corruption and chicanery, buddy-buddy bonds broken and mended, 'colourful' characters to both hinder and help our hapless heroes. The cast are all excellent, particularly the veteran Noiret, and the whole exercise is bathed in a warm glow of amiability which, like a hot summer sun, induces drowsiness.