I went into "Largo Winch: The Price of Money" anticipating it would be a disaster, especially considering how lousy Largo Winch II was. However, I found myself fueled by curiosity and a hint of skepticism, secretly hoping it wouldn’t be as bad as I feared.
Directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse and featuring Tomer Sisley reprising his role alongside James Franco as the antagonist, I expected an action-thriller that might redeem itself in some way. Unfortunately, what I got was a cinematic train wreck that made the entire experience painfully drawn out, leaving me wishing I could reclaim the time I wasted just sitting through it all.
A Wacky Plot that Baffles
The film kicks off with the infamous Largo Winch facing an existential crisis after the kidnapping of his son—an emotional setup that should provide a gripping foundation. Instead, what unfolds is a convoluted series of events where Largo breaks out of prison alongside an underage girl, setting the stage for their peculiar road trip of unjustified camaraderie. If you thought that pairing was odd, just wait until you discover how seamlessly they travel the globe facing life-and-death challenges with a level of absurdity I wouldn’t even reserve for a Saturday morning cartoon.
Repetitive plotlines have plagued the "Largo Winch" franchise, and "The Price of Money" is no exception. The narrative becomes a dreary rinse-and-repeat exercise: a takeover plot, assassination attempts, and a bored villain, supposedly evil, who wouldn’t intimidate even the simplest of opponents. The stakes feel laughable—how does a company worth 50 billion dollars suddenly teeter on the edge of bankruptcy due to a "bad investment"? The blatant oversimplification does a disservice to its central theme and offers viewers little more than a cringeworthy spectacle watching Largo navigate one cliché after another.
The Struggle of the Performers
Tomer Sisley has long been the face of Largo Winch, embodying the character’s charm and agility with the fervor of someone who appears to genuinely love his craft. Yet, like fine aged cheese, his prowess only stinks in the film’s altogether unappetizing context. His physicality is admirable, but it’s overshadowed by a lackluster script that offers no real challenge for a man who can not only pull off stunts but also engage in meaningful dialogue—of which there’s precious little.
If Tomer Sisley is a robust piece of cheese, then James Franco’s villainy is akin to a fast-food cheeseburger—flimsy, uninspired, and not at all satisfying. Franco struts around playing a cardboard cut-out of a villain when he should have incited some real terror. Instead, he's reduced to a caricature who's less likely to seize the cinematic throne and more likely destined for an unconvincing episode of “Wacky Races.” Watching Franco’s take feels more like witnessing a man forget his way to villain school and end up in a comedy club. To make matters worse, since it's a French movie, his dialogue is dubbed over, making it look painfully fake. Honestly, I don’t see any reason to cast James in this role; his character was so utterly terrible that they could have swapped him out for anyone, and it wouldn’t have made the movie worse.
In stark contrast to the dismal offerings of the film, Bonnie's character, portrayed by ÉLise Tilloloy, was a breath of fresh air that I genuinely enjoyed. Her comedic timing and energetic presence injected much-needed levity into the otherwise grim proceedings. Every time she appeared on screen, I found myself smiling, grateful for her vibrant energy. Élise's quirky charisma made her one of the few bright spots in this cinematic catastrophe, reminding us that even amidst the chaos, moments of genuine charm and humor can shine through. I only wish her standout performance had been surrounded by a script worthy of her talents.
A Directorial Vision That Veers Off Course
Olivier Masset-Depasse, perhaps believing himself to be crafting a high-octane thriller, seems to have succumbed to the allure of action without substance. The pacing leans heavily on tired chase scenes and haphazard explosions, often falling flat when it attempts to stir excitement. Instead of gripping tension and suspense, we get special effects reminiscent of a PlayStation 2 game—by the end, I found myself chuckling at the absurd quality rather than marveling at any cinematic prowess.
The direction struggles to balance action with the relevant tension that happens when a character’s life is at stake. It feels as if the story is merely a vehicle for incoherent action sequences more than any meaningful narrative. The attempts at creativity seem to be buried under the weight of genre expectations, never truly rising to the surface.
A Script with All the Right Questions and None of the Right Answers
The film's dialogue is akin to stale bread—mediocre and utterly uninspiring. Clichés abound, making moments that should have been pivotal feel like nothing more than a sad echo of better films. Watching Largo navigate this labyrinth of overdone quips and poorly written exchanges felt like experiencing déjà vu alongside an unfortunate headache. There were moments when I wanted to scream, “Please, just give me something even resembling originality!” Instead, I was treated to predictable dialogue that provided neither thrills nor laughs—merely a painful awareness of how badly this was all crafted.
Themes Lost in Translation
At its core, "The Price of Money" attempts to explore themes of familial loss, corporate malfeasance, and betrayal, yet the execution remains starkly unconvincing. Watching Largo come to terms with the loss of his son should resonate on multiple levels, but instead, I felt a strange disconnect, as if the film was wholly unprepared to tackle such serious matters. Themes of betrayal and consequence fall flat amidst a glob of contrived antics that scarcely balance the emotional stakes.
For fans of action dramas, I’d recommend venturing instead into the worlds created by "John Wick" or "Taken"—both of which manage to introduce genuine tension and emotional depth within their manic plots. They remind us that stakes should feel substantial and meaningful beyond just empty threats and disjointed encounters.
Franchising into the Abyss
As I reflect on the comparative analysis between "The Price of Money" and its predecessors, I can’t help but cringe at the trajectory of this series. Each installment feels more like a desperate flop, straying further from what initially made Largo Winch appealing. It's hard not to imagine viewers likening Tomer Sisley’s journey to an ageing rock band attempting to clamber back to fame—the charm might still be there, but the substance is woefully lacking.
Conclusion
"Largo Winch: The Price of Money" sits firmly in the realm of cinematic disasters. With a tangle of plotlines, lackluster performances, and tired clichés, it’s difficult to discern whether I was supposed to take anything seriously while watching. Despite Sisley’s best efforts to channel a combination of Bruce Wayne and Jean-Paul Belmondo, his talent is buried beneath a mountain of writing and directing blunders.
This film will likely be a fleeting memory that falls far short of any meaningful impact—a regrettable choice that I hope audiences will think twice about. Drop this off your watchlist; it’s a missed opportunity that, like a stale store-brand popsicle, is best left forgotten.
