They were very good at taking a play and magically transforming into a film, that Mr Wilder and Mr Diamond. This one was by Francis Veber, who wrote the play 'Le Contrat' in 1971, and adapted it as L'Emmerdeur in 1973, with Lino Ventura and Jacques Brel.
Start again. Francis Veber had already adapted his 1971 play 'Le Contrat' for cinema in the 1973 L'Emmerdeur, starring Lino Ventura and Jacques Brel, so how much Wilder and Diamond adapted it you can't be sure unless you've seen the earlier film. From reviews it sounds like they are very similar...
Start again. Billy's final film, which he referred to as a 'turkey' is - according to Cameron Crowe - an early example of the 'hitman genre' which later spawned Pulp Fiction, The Matador, Grosse Pointe Blank, Coldblooded etc. It is however an adaptation of a play by Francis Veber, first staged in 1971 and adapted (by himself) for film as L'Emmerdeur two years later, with the great Lino Ventura in the Matthau part and Jacques Brel.
Without having seen the earlier film I can only say that the construction is neat and the characterisations and dialogue funny (on the birth of his son, a man offers cops joints instead of cigars), certainly no turkey. Matthau has a field day as gruff assassin, and Lemmon's character sounds less annoying than his French counterpart. Paula Prentiss perhaps overacts as Lemmon's wannabe ex-wife. Klaus Kinski is the sex clinic doctor.
It's a horribly neglected film, only available in a dodgy transfer from Spain called Aqui Un Amigo in grotty non-anamorphic shape.
Electric bass-led score by Lalo Schifrin, photographed in Panavision and Metrocolor by Harry Stradling Jr.
Loved Matthau's Catholic priest, and his impatient fingers on the steering wheel. And the fact that in the finale, he steers Lemmon out of trouble.
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