Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 18, 2023

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Music Box Films' OSS 117 release.

Bath. Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath.

Yeah, that probably doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "Bond, James Bond", but for those who might think that the OSS 117 "franchise" in all of its many forms was a blatant rip off of Ian Fleming's work, here's a little disabusing of that notion: French writer Jean Bruce's first novel featuring French spy Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, AKA OSS 117, actually pre-dates Fleming's premiere tale featuring 007, Casino Royale, by several years! It may beg credulity to think that Fleming didn't know of 117 when he "demoted" the ones to zeroes for his spy, but in a way it kind of doesn't matter who came first with regard to the reboots under discussion, since they're intentionally seemingly ersatz from the get go, trying perhaps fitfully to mimic the plethora of spy spoofs that came out in the wake of Dr. No and the other early-ish Sean Connery classics. In that regard, it's kind of interesting that the first batch of OSS 117 films evidently played it much, much straighter. As with the release timings of Bruce's and Fleming's book versions, the debut OSS 117 film, OSS 117 n'est pas mort, came out in 1957, several years before the first Connery effort hit the big screen. One way or the other, though, the creatives behind these "newer" OSS 117 films decided to make Bath a Get Smart-esque buffoon a la Maxwell Smart, to arguably inconsistent comedic effect.

Star Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius probably made a bit more history with The Artist than they did with either of their OSS 117 efforts, but as with that Oscar winning Best Picture, both of the OSS 117 outings are pastiches of a sort, with obvious referents and homages sprinkled rather liberally throughout. In this particular instance, there's a bunch of international intrigue that has tethers to a brief prelude (in black and white, speaking of The Artist) depicting La Bath fighting Nazis during World War II. This vignette also offers an introduction to his partner Jack Jefferson (Philippe Lefebvre), with later rather broad (and at least to me) surprisingly unfunny hints dropped that their "partnership" may have had an unexpected intimacy.

The main spy angle comes into play when La Bath is tasked with infiltrating a labyrinthine assortment of competing spies and factions in Cairo in an attempt to investigate Jack's mysterious disappearance and supposed death. La Bath gets his choice of romantic interests, each with their own bantering and/or outright battling aspects, including Jack's secretary Larmina el-Akmar Betouche (Bérénice Bejo) and Princess Al-Tarouk (Aure Atika), a member of the Egyptian royal family. It's all patently ridiculous, of course, and played for very broad laughs, which is why the lack of actual humor seems so surprising. Dujardin is actually kind of annoying in the role, mistaking continual laughter in any number of scenes for actually delivering punchlines. On the plus side, the film's production design is aces, if, since it's supposedly taking place largely in the mid-fifties, just a tad too "sixties" at times.

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Music Box Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Shot on 35mm and with a presumed 2K DI, this is a rather nice looking presentation, even if I personally found the color timing of both this film and its sibling to be a little odd looking at times. There are some obviously deliberate grading choices, as in a peach colored if simultaneously slightly desaturated looking flashback featuring La Bath and Jack frolicking at the beach (see screenshot 5), as well as some intentionally unnataural blue filtered day for night sequences, but the bulk of this presentation has a very slight skew toward yellow-peach tones overall, which may be evident from some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. Detail levels are generally great throughout, and are especially impressive on any number of midcentury modern accoutrements like props and costumes that are utilized. Grain resolves without any issues.

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies features enjoyable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options in the original French. The film is graced with an ebullient score by Ludovic Bource (with some help from Kamel Ech Cheikh for what I assume was some "ethnic" music), all of which engages the side and rear channels winningly. The glut of outdoor scenes also provides good opportunities for ambient environmental sounds, and some crowded interior scenes also feature background clamor clearing emanating from the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Feature Commentary by Michel Hazanavicius and Jean Dujardin is in French, with optional English subtitles.


• Making of OSS 117: Cairo (HD*; 19:57) has some good behind the scenes footage, even if Dujardin comes across as incredibly full of himself. Subtitled in English.


• Deleted and Alternate Scenes (HD; 17:33)


• Blooper Reel (HD; 12:26)


• Photo Gallery (HD)


• Theatrical Trailers (HD; 4:02)

*720

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps due at least in part to the outsized reputation of The Artist as well as reports I had heard back from friends who had seen these films when they were originally exhibited, I may have simply set my "expectations bar" too high to totally enjoy this film, but even given that personal deficit on my part, I really can't imagine many people finding this the supposed "laugh a thon" it's been made out to be. Production values are very high and technical merits are generally sound, and the supplements are also enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.