This film by George Lautner, was at the time of its release not so well received, at least by the audience. Peu à peu it has become one of the 'classics' within French film and is now regarded as an unalienable part of the French 'Seventh Art'.
Lino Ventura is Fernand Naudin, an ex-gangster now living a quiet life and also eager to continue enjoying his Otium Cum Dignitate.
However, "The Mexican" (Jacques Dumsnil), a mob boss and friend, calls him from his death bed, wanting Fernand to take care of some parts of his criminal business.
He also wants Fernand to look after his daughter Patricia (Sabine Sinjen), who soon is to be married. This, his daughter, is not "a piece of cake" though, as she only wants to have fun ("girls wanna' have fun") and never stayed more than six months in a college.
Besides her, Fernand also have to fight back Raoul Volfoni (Bernard Blier) (not Volpone even if there are similarities in the story, though "The Mexican" is more to be seen as Volpone in this case), a mobster who strongly dislikes Fernand being responsible for "The Mexican's" business. Volfoni and other gangsters saw themselves as the 'natural' heirs to the 'empire' created by "The Mexican".
Volfoni tries to kill Fernand but each and every time he fails, not least because of less competent or incompetent collaborators and Fernand strikes back.
This is a gangster comedy where the 'toughness' is blended with a lot of humour and the obvious difficulties for Fernand - and the others - to 'subdue' the young daughter and her friends when they throw a party in the house.
There is a famous kitchen scene where the 'gangsters' are sitting around a table, talking and not least drinking a lot of very strong liquor. They become more and more philosophical and on the same time it's a way of displaying who is 'the strongest' and most resistant among them.
The screenwriter Michel Audiard thought this scene being superfluous but the director wanted it as a homage to the film 'Key Largo'.
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