Dead in France

An initially promising British noir-comedy, Dead in France follows Charles (Brian A. Levine, who also wrote the screenplay), a polished hitman ready to retire and enjoy life on a yacht in the company of a good woman. Unfortunately, Charles doesn't know anything about yachts and has never kissed a woman, let alone lived with one. But he has one eye on a boat and the other on his comely housecleaner, Lisa (Celia Muir)—not realizing that both are tied up in separate but simultaneous scams. The result: Charles is robbed of two million pounds by a pair of upstart criminals as Lisa's idiotic boyfriend holds several people hostage on Charles' property. Meanwhile, a female assassin is leaving a trail of carnage in her quest to take Charles out. Director Kris McManus's handsome, black-and-white footage and exotic, Côte d'Azur setting make Dead in France worth watching for awhile, but the clever premise quickly runs out of fresh ideas and descends into a redundant bloodbath. Not a necessary purchase. (T. Keogh)