Comic book adaptations are so common these days that it seems that there are precious few titles left that would make halfway decent films (though if Tim Burton ever decided to adapt Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, people would pay good money to see it). Largo Winch is a series of Belgian comic books originally published in the 80s and 90s, the eponymous hero of which is an orphan adopted by a business mogul, who unexpectedly becomes head of the company when his father is murdered.
The comic book stories have dual volumes, the first a drive-by of convoluted plotting that places Largo in a seemingly inescapable situation while someone tries to steal the company, and the second involving similarly elaborate improvisation to thwart them. The Burma Conspiracy, despite not being directly adapted from the comics, still follows this format.
Conveniently, the prologue, as well as being plot crucial, imparts back story from the first film (which was imply titled Largo Winch) that brings us up to speed on the current situation for anyone unfamiliar with Largo Winch. Given that outside of Belgium the first film was seen by roughly 17 people, this will likely account for the entire audience.
However, after a promising start the film descends into a confused mess, seemingly unsure of what it’s doing. The incessant globetrotting comes from the film’s 007 delusions, and though we visit and revisit locations as exotic as Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma and, er, Switzerland, you get no feel for the places as events mostly take place within sterile office buildings. Questions are presumably left unanswered to lend Largo an air of mystery Why was he living in the jungle? Where did he learn to fight so well? come off as basic plot holes indicative of a badly thought out story. So devoid of ideas is the film that we are subjected to yet another verbal rendition of the myth of Pandora attempting to pass itself off as meaningful introspection. Seeing as this comes at a pivotal moment in proceedings, the banality of the parallel borders on unforgivable.
It’s difficult to tell precisely who the film is aimed at. Certainly the roguish, ruggedly handsome hero with a philanthropic streak will appeal to the ladies, but the lack of any convincing romance scuppers the implicit payoff of such sensitivity. Of the two count them female characters not there to serve as window dressing, Mame Nakprasitte is given too little to work with to be believable as someone Largo could have had a meaningful relationship with, whilst Sharon Stone gleefully masticates the scenery every time she’s on camera.
Given the age of the comics, they inevitably hark back to a time when combat as part of a story was common. However, any male viewers primed for a retro experience of blood-pumping fight sequences will instead end up bored with the laborious double-dealings of conglomerate skulduggery. These often seem to merely serve as preludes to uninspired action scenes that leave you wondering how so much can happen all at once, but with so little of any consequence actually occurring. The dated feel is further evoked by a jarring and criminal use of that song from perennial one-hit-wonders House of Pain.
All other faults aside, the car chase at the beginning of the film and the skydiving fistfight near its end are both truly spectacular highlights that warrant repeat viewing, if just to revel in their audacity. It’s just a shame that everything in between couldn’t garner the same level of imagination or spectacle.
Overall Verdict: The Burma Conspiracy is little more than a disjointed collection of action movie tropes that had gone out of fashion before the turn of the millennium. Mildly distracting, ultimately tedious, and further proof that any amount of Sharon Stone is too much.
Special Features:
Trailer
Reviewer: Andrew Marshall