And if Francky Vincent, the unforgettable interpreter of Fruit of the passion AND you want my willyDid you have a career as a police officer alongside singing? This is the tone of Sentinelnew unconventional comedy with Jonathan Cohen, available this Friday on the Prime Video streaming platform.
In this feature film imagined by Hugo Benamozig and David Caviglioli, already at the helm of Terrible jungle with Jonathan Cohen, and the writing of TorchThe comic actor plays François Sentinelle, a seedy cop and nerdy singer tasked with investigating a series of violent crimes on Reunion Island.
“From the beginning we wanted to make a Magnum a little silly,” says David Caviglioli. “While writing, we imagined this running gag: Every time a character said a somewhat strong line, Sentinelle would get an idea for a song. The gag has become a cinematic concept in its own right.”
To support the promotion of their film, Hugo Benamozig and David Caviglioli wrote fake songs. First of all the kikian obscene title a la Francky Vincent, and above all Do you regret it?a honeyed parody ballad whose music video has already been viewed more than a million times on YouTube.
The charisma of “JoCo”
With Sentinel, “JoCo” breaks away from its roles of retarded teenagers. “We immediately felt the fun potential of his mature side, which has not yet been exploited,” estimates Hugo Benamozig. “He has a side of Vittorio Gassman [célèbre acteur italien, NDLR], a bit of Italian charm. “We wanted to work with him on a little bit of Daron’s masculinity.”
Sentinel was written especially for “JoCo”: “During The torch, we practiced it intensely for six months. We were aware of the rhythm of his sentences, his way of being in a room, of sitting at the end of a table… his charisma inspired us enormously. “We start from who he is and we caricature him.”
Sentinel is part of the lineage of cult American comedies such as the film very bad police with Will Ferrell or the series Kenny powers with Danny McBride. “We made a slightly vulgar comedy with a main character who has a mullet and who is a bit doting. Sentinel is actually Kenny Powers,” summarizes David Caviglioli.
Few improvisations
Known for his extraordinary ability to improvise, Jonathan Cohen respects the script more often than one might think, insists the director: “He is an excellent reader. He understands the scenes, the character. He writes down his script and saves all the versions. He understands “He knows them by heart. He often suggests reinstating certain lines that he had loved in previous versions. He has a complete vision of the film.”
Some scenes were improvised, “but not that many,” says Hugo Benamozig. “His first takes are usually so good that we can afford them. He doesn’t improvise because he’s weak. That’s always a plus.” “The scenes are made for him. As it is in his universe, in his rhythm, in his language, he can improvise in a relevant way,” adds David Caviglioli.
A bloody comedy
Unlike many French comedies, Sentinel He also doesn’t hesitate to hold back his blows, even if sometimes that means throwing himself into trash and blood. “We tried to be as sadistic as possible with the characters,” smiles David Caviglioli. “We like gore with Hugo. He makes us laugh.”
“We wanted to work at the limit, make a comedy in which the viewer can tell himself that he has not seen this or that gag anywhere else, which is a bit disturbing,” adds Hugo Benamozig. The duo were particularly inspired by Rick and Morty, a series that skillfully mixes humor and trash. Enough to create quite memorable scenes that risk dividing the audience.
“We have a character in the movie who is on fire. Meanwhile, Sentinel is complaining about a hip problem,” says David Caviglioli. “This contrast works well on screen, but there are people who are surprised, who find it a little harsh. So we avoided making it gratuitous to always serve the story and the fun.”
Powered by all 240 countries where Prime Video is available, Sentinel Does it have a chance of achieving the same international success as Medellin in June? It’s hard to know. In any case, in France the film should be a success and why not give rise to a sequel, as its final scene suggests.
Source: BFM TV
