3 Days Max

3 jours max , directed and written by Tarek Boudali, is the sequel to 30 jours max , released in 2020. The film blends humor and action, featuring Rayane, a bumbling policeman played by Tarek Boudali himself, who finds himself embroiled in a high-stakes mission to rescue his kidnapped grandmother from a Mexican cartel. The film is a satire of action and spy films, drawing inspiration from the Mission: Impossible franchise. However, despite its ambitions and good intentions, 3 jours max fails to deliver a truly memorable comic experience.

Tarek Boudali's style of humor, in the tradition of la bande à Fifi, is known for its uncompromising crudity. Although this type of humor has its audience, 3 jours max fails to renew it. The jokes are often predictable, with obvious punchlines well in advance, leaving little room for surprise or laughter. The film's attempt to parody the tropes of action and spy films is clumsy, lacking the wit and creativity necessary to make an effective satire of the genre. It's clear that the director wanted to pay homage to iconic action sequences, but he delivers only a passable imitation.

A glaring example of the film's shortcomings is a scene in which Rayane clumsily attempts to scale the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Abu Dhabi, mirroring a famous moment from Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol . This scene, which had the potential to be a humorous reinterpretation of the iconic original, falls flat. Boudali's direction and writing lack the necessary comic timing, and the audience can see the punchline coming from miles away. The film's comedy is marked by a lack of originality, an absence of comic timing and an addiction to predictability.

The film's characters are reduced to one-dimensional caricatures, lacking depth and development. Although familiar faces such as Elodie Fontan and Chantal Ladesou appear, their characters are mere references rather than individuals in their own right. What's more, the film takes a wrong turn when it makes Philippe Lacheau and Julien Arruti wear women's clothing, a decision that not only reinforces stereotypes, but also dips into misogynist humor. 

3 jours max aims to be a comedy that parodies the action genre, but it falls short of its objectives. While it manages to offer moments of fun and pay homage to cinematic references, it fails to deliver a truly satisfying comedic experience. Tarek Boudali's direction and writing, while laudable in their ambition, ultimately lack the finesse and originality to elevate the film beyond the simple consumer comedy that has come to define his work. This sequel, like its predecessor, disappoints by failing to deliver the comic brio that its talented cast and promising premise had the potential to bring.

3 days max
Written and directed by Tarek Boudali
Produced by Christophe Cervoni, Marc Fiszman
Starring Tarek Boudali, Philippe Lacheau, Julien Arruti , Vanessa Guide, José Garcia, Marie-Anne Chazel, Reem Kherici, Chantal Ladesou, Élodie Fontan, Jean-Yves Berteloot, Paco Boisson, Rossy de Palma, Franck Gastambide , Michèle Laroque, Jean-Luc Couchard, Sergej Onopko, Brice Coutellier, Sophia Yamna, Raphaël Monier 
Music by Maxime Desprez, Michael Tordjman
Cinematography : Vincent Richard Marquis
Edited by Anaïs Meuzeret
Production companies : Axel Films, Studiocanal
Distributed by Studiocanal
Release date : October 25, 2023 (France)
Running time : 87 minutes

Seen November 6, 2023 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 1 seat L19

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