ON GUARD delivers. Better than almost all other French swordplay films, this film version of the Paul Féval novel 'Le Bossu' has been aptly adapted for the screen by de Broca, Jean Cosmos, and Jérôme Tonnerre and under Phillipe de Broca's keen eye for detail and entertainment it effervesces on the screen.

The story is solid but predictable: a young swordsman Lagardère (a brilliant Daniel Auteuil) falls into the service of the Duke of Nevers (Vincent Perez in a dashing role) to recover the Duke's daughter Aurore (Marie Gillain). But the evil Gonzague (Fabrice Luchini) kills the Duke and the remainder of the non-stop romance involves the revenge and eventual love story of Lagardère and Aurore.

de Broca's style is lushly authentic for the period yet he manages to always infuse his story with light touches of comedy, lush lighting and spectacular photography. The cast is uniformly excellent. This is one of those 'escapist movies' that is bound to entertain and please even the most critical audience! In French with English subtitles. Recommended. Grady Harp

This movie reminded me a lot of Raphael Sabatini's "Scaramouche". Both movies involve a hero who hides out in an acting troupe until eventually they can exact their revenge on the evil Ariosto. And, both featured copious amounts of sword-fighting.

The action is excellent--particularly the sword fight on the rooftop near the end. The acting is also excellent--with Daniel Auteuil doing his usual stallar job. The plot is engaging and generally well-written. I have only one problem and that is the unexpected and rather creepy romance that occurred between Aurora and her step-dad. It just seemed tacked on and illogical. While not technically incest, it sure was skirting the edges. The movie's conclusion sure was reminiscent of one of Ronald Reagan's most notorious films, "That Hagan Girl", though Le Bossu is certainly a vastly superior film. So my advice is to watch it but just brace yourself for the inexplicable ending. Without this bad ending, the film would have easily earned a score of 9.

How I love a good swash buckling adventure, and Le bossu is exactly that. It is an exciting and fun adaptation of a classic story, and where it works is in its success in trying to make it appeal to everybody. The story is classic, and thanks to the crisp pacing and solid storytelling Le bossu does do an above credible job adapting it. The action is terrific and doesn't look clumsy in any way, and the screenplay is very witty. Other strong assets are the rousing score, assured direction and especially the gorgeous locations, costumes and photography. The acting is also great, Daniel Auteuil is brilliant in the title dual role, Marie Gillian is a beautiful and convincing Aurore, Vincent Perez is fine as Duc De Nevers and Fabrice Luchini is an excellent villain of the piece. All in all, a wonderful film! 10/10 Bethany Cox