The music would fit right in with any contemporary, highfalutin action-adventure flicks out of Hollywood, or the most tongue-in-cheek of blaxploitation; the cinematography and editing often reflect an excitability of someone trained on like fare, or perhaps the sensibilities of martial arts flicks out of Hong Kong. These aspects, it must be said, don't hold a candle to the writing, direction, or acting: fabulously, delightfully blunt, ridiculous, over the top, unbelievable, and possibly downright nonsensical and cartoonish. But then, what else would one possibly expect from a comic book character? Just from reading the premise, let alone starting the movie, it's obvious that this is all about having fun, with little care for the liberties it takes with "storytelling" or "reality," and everyone involved gleefully leans into that slant. Even with this in mind I'm not saying that it's necessarily an utter exemplar of the genre, but sometimes you just want to kick back and relax with a little slice of tomfoolery, and by that measure 'Docteur Justice' is terrific. This is a blast!
From a mere glance one can surely discern what type of film this is; one is either on board with the style or not, so there's no use raising a fuss about it. Stunts, effects, hand to hand combat, gunfights, and chases galore; a protagonist whose chipper attitude, confidence, and optimism come off as arrogance that's a funhouse mirror's answer to James Bond's egregious machismo; a chief antagonist who also happens to be a master chef, and a henchman plainly modeled after Bruce Lee; "Just So" plot development and scene writing that is characterized by cheek and ham-handedness as much as by customary genre thrills, and which regularly elicit reactions of "you've GOT to be kidding me!" - this feature has it all. Why, there's even a beautiful woman as a supporting character, and she's not just Eye Candy as we so often see in similar pieces! Well before even half the runtime has elapsed one has either totally checked out, or is having the time of their life. Count me among the latter! I expected 'Docteur Justice' would be a silly romp, but truth be told, I'm so pleased that it's even more absurd, and gratifying in that absurdity, than I could have hoped.
Yes, this feature is preposterous. But none of it is sloppy or accidental. From filmmaker Christian-Jaque to writers Raphael Marcello, Jean Ollivier, Jacques Robert, and Andrés Velasco; from the whole cast, including above all John Phillip Law, Gert Fröbe, and Nathalie Delon, to all the contributions of those behind the scenes, everyone involved did a fantastic job. This is crafted first and foremost with lighthearted mirth, yet no less skill or intelligence for the fact of it. All the stunts, effects, and action sequences are as sharp as we would assume of any like-minded titles; the direction is as dexterous and fleet-footed as it is ham-fisted. For as outwardly ludicrous as so much of the screenplay is, if we're being honest it doesn't wink at us any more than the works of Eon Productions, AIP, the Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and so on; the story is complete and compelling at the same time that it unreservedly adopts the excesses of comic book colorfulness. I've never seen Fröbe enjoying himself as much as he does here, and that same spirit extends to Law, Delon, and their co-stars, having a ball at the same time that they're making the best action flick that they could. It sure seems to me like the project had the benefit of a considerable budget, with splendid filming locations, excellent production design, fine costume design, hair, and makeup, and so on.
Truly, I'm just overjoyed with how entertaining 'Docteur Justice' is, and frankly I'm taken aback at broad reception that seems to hover between "lukewarm" and "poor." To think, that folks could watch this and altogether balk, but keep a straight face while watching the latest Marvel monstrosity. This 1975 flick is pretty much as smartly made as any of its brethren, but never loses sight of the foremost objective of ensuring its audience has a good time. For as much as the cast and all others on hand are indisputably embracing the frivolity, I don't think there was ever any risk of we spectators failing to share in the reverie. This is a movie that knows exactly what it is, and through to the very, very end it just forgoes any restraints as it lets loose with whatever wild idea comes next to tell the story of a crusading WHO physician, a champion swimmer, a karate expert, and a philosopher - all the same person - investigating modern-day piracy. I blithely assumed I'd like this, though my expectations were incorrectly tempered somewhat by observing what others have seemingly thought of it. When all is said and done I simply couldn't be happier with how cheerful, lively, and outright refreshing an experience it is. I, for one, absolutely love 'Docteur Justice,' and as far as I'm concerned this earns a very high, enthusiastic recommendation for one and all!
