The Blues Brothers

In an explosive mix of rhythm and blues, song and dance, high-speed chases, burlesque pirouettes and madcap explosions, John Landis, a Spielbergian maverick and expert in pastiches and other film comedies, continues down the nostalgic path set in motion by Lucas' American Graffiti (1973), while playfully ushering in the eighties decade of Prince, Madonna and Jackson (whose Thriller video Landis later directed).

On his release from prison, Jake is reunited with his brother: half smart bums, half phlegmatic men in black, they have eleven days to earn $5,000 to save the orphanage they grew up in from bankruptcy.

Like knights or samurais, they set out on a divine mission that came to them as a glittering epiphany during a gospel-blues sermon sung by Reverend Cleophus (none other than James Brown himself).

Their mission is to assemble a team, rebuild their band and put on a lucrative concert, with the entire Illinois police force, a group of angry country singers, a heavily armed ex-fiancée and a pack of neo-Nazis on their trail. Along the way, they meet stars such as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, who play supporting roles in scenes that turn into music videos, with all the extras dancing wildly. Charles and Franklin move from dialogue to song, shining for the duration of a track from the Chicago R&B or New York soul repertoire (Shake a Tail Feather and Think).

It's an exhilarating experience for those who let themselves get caught up in the rhythm and the fun.

Alain Boillat, (CEC, Unil)