Return of the Hero

Jean Dujardin, Oscar-winning star of The Artist, returns as a dashing hussar who may not be all he seems, in this Gallic blend of historical swashbuckler and romantic comedy. Having pledged to marry a provincial aristo's daughter, he'd been called away to the Napoleonic campaigns before tying the knot, leaving the bride-to-be distraught until her older sister (Mélanie Laurent) concocts a series of letters telling of the entirely fictional adventures preventing his passage back to France. It's a classic screenwriting ruse, and we know it'll cause mounting complications when this supposedly heroic warrior inevitably returns - which he does as a vagabond deserter. Dujardin absolutely tears it up as the handsome scoundrel eager to exploit his fake reputation, yet Laurent too gets caught up in the lies as her heart starts to beat for him. The plotting certainly cuts a few corners, but the film's insouciant exuberance is winning, as indeed is the chemistry between shameless rascal Dujardin and his decidedly snippy female co-star. A pleasant diversion.