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Le Paradoxe de Waddon

Arts: Cinema


Le Paradoxe de Waddon

Tense Accountancy thriller set to background of the Cold War

A long overdue re-release on DVD

Review originally published GTG June 2009

Tough Accounting!

Grey Town Mon 1st June:

It was only a matter of time given the phenomenal success of L’abĂ®me d’espoir (The Abyss of Hope) (GTG May) before we would see the re-release of earlier works by Claude Bardot and his long standing collaborator (and sometimes rival) Jean Michelle LeGroin.

The first to hit the shelves is this 1982 classic in which LeGroin not only starred, but also directed and produced. The original has been painstakingly restored and remastered in 3D HD format and looks as fresh as the day it was made.

Set in the mysterious world of double-entry bookkeeping and VAT reconciliations, the story is an action-packed tale of one man’s battle to audit a client’s books before their filing deadline whilst simultaneously battling with KGB agents masquerading as VAT inspectors.

Value Added Violence
LeGroin plays Buster Crummond (motto “Value Added Violence”) a self-employed bookkeeper, former Special Forces Agent, and steam enthusiast who uses Ramboesque methods to to deal with journal errors and recalcitrant tax officials. Made in a time before CGI, LeGroin had to perform all of his own stunts (and was nearly killed when filming the exploding line-printer scene) but this he did with a kind of panache James Bond would find hard to match.

Synopsis
The enigmatic title refers to the paradox that even though Crummond’s calculations are perfect, the local VAT inspector (Victor Luchenko played by martial arts legend the late Chuck Carbine) nevertheless rejects his Quarterly Return. Using his trademark combination of diligent book work and pump action shoot outs Buster unearths a Cold War plot by the KGB to undermine the UK’s economy by infiltrating local VAT and Tax Offices.

The film is of course famous for its high speed rickshaw chase through the streets of Grey Town, but my favorite scene has to be the awesome slow motion sequence (reminiscent ot Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch”) when Buster shoots his way through Grey Town’s branch of Customs and Excise spraying bullets and mayhem in all directions. And who can forget the final confrontation on the roof of Grey Town Castle when Buster utters the immortal words “Reconcile this!” before blowing away arch villain Luchencko with his Magnum 44. Priceless!

The DVD features the usual extras of interviews with the director and stars, some amusing out takes, plus a free 30-minute Porn ‘short’ staring a little known Swiss actress Heidi Minx.

Although we’ve all seen it a dozen times, this bank holiday favorite is still a must for fans of bookkeeping and mindless violence. With all the publicity surrounding LeGroin’s new film and Carbine’s untimely death demand is bound to be huge so don’t delay: rush out to Blockbuster and grab your copy now! Value Added Violence indeed!

Crispen de laBon

Le Paradoxe de Waddon

Rating:               18
Running time:         120 minutes
Director:             Jean Michelle LeGroin
Starring:             Jean Michelle LeGroin, Chuck Carbine
Greyscale Rating:     Platinum

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