Tire au flanc: A dusty, weird look at army life

Look, if you’re into pristine, modern comedies with tight scripts and snappy jokes, Tire au flanc is going to drive you absolutely bonkers. It’s an old, dusty French film that feels like it was put together with string and good intentions. But if you have a soft spot for silent-era slapstick and don't mind a movie that takes its sweet time getting to the punchline, you might actually find it charming.

The whole thing hinges on a posh, soft-handed aristocrat forced into the trenches of military life. It’s a classic setup, right? The contrast between his lace-cuff sensibilities and the boot-camp grit is pretty funny at first. But then the colonel shows up and decides he’s going to make the kid's life a living hell, and the movie just leans into it hard.

There’s this one scene where they’re drilling in the mud, and it goes on for what feels like an eternity. You can see the extras in the back just sort of staring at the camera, waiting for someone to yell cut. It’s oddly hypnotic. It reminded me a bit of the frantic, slightly disjointed energy you find in Ain't Love Grand?, where the physical gags are more important than the actual plot.

The acting? It’s big. I mean, really big. Everyone is using their whole body to convey the simplest emotions, which is fine, but it makes the quieter moments feel a bit lonely. There’s a specific look the lead gives when he’s cleaning his rifle—it’s like he’s trying to solve a complex math equation with his eyes. 🧐

Honestly, the movie is a bit of a mess. It drifts. Some jokes land with a thud, and some sequences just kind of peter out into nothing. It doesn’t have the polish of Lovers' Delight, and it definitely doesn't pretend to be high art. That’s why I kind of like it.

It feels like a real artifact. You can almost smell the old nitrate film. It’s not trying to convince you it’s a masterpiece. It’s just trying to get a chuckle out of a crowd in 1928, and sometimes that’s enough. Just don't go in expecting anything profound, or you’ll be disappointed.

Things I noticed:

• The uniforms look like they’re two sizes too big for everyone.
• There’s a stray dog in the background of the barracks scene that clearly has no idea it’s in a movie.
• The colonel’s mustache is a character unto itself.
• The ending comes out of nowhere, almost like the film just ran out of tape.

If you're a fan of the genre, it’s worth a watch, if only to see how they did comedy before talkies took over everything. It's clunky, sure. But it's also got this weird, stubborn heart. Give it a shot on a rainy Sunday. Maybe have a coffee handy. You’ll need it.