Line #14 Film/LevyAndGoliath


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/levy&goliath.png]]
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3	''Lévy and Goliath'' (French: ''Lévy et Goliath'') is a 1987 French action comedy film directed by Creator/GerardOury. Music/VladimirCosma composed the soundtrack.
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5	The two Lévy brothers couldn't be more different. Moses (Creator/RichardAnconina) is strictly observant of Orthodox UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}, [[UsefulNotes/JewishLifeEvents married in the religion]], works as a diamond powder dealer in [[UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} Antwerp]] and chats with God himself. Albert (Michel Boujenah), who's shunned by pretty much the whole family including Moses because he largely abandoned religious practice, owns a non-kosher café in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} and married a non-Jewish woman.
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7	One day in Paris, the courier of Goliath, a garage owner and drug dealing gang leader, slips packs of cocaine in the diamond powder bag of Moses to avoid the police. Moses then ends up hunted down by Goliath's gang and soon requires Albert's help, forcing both brothers to reconcile in order to stand a chance.
8	----
9	!!''Lévy and Goliath'' provides examples of:
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11	* EightiesHair: The female drug courier who slips packs of cocaine in Moses' bag has a curly shag.
12	* AffectionateGestureToTheHead:
13	** Moses affectionately touches the top of his brother Albert's head when the latter comes to his help at the NoTellMotel when Goliath is out in the streets of Pigalle looking for him.
14	** Moses later does the same with his nephews (Albert's children) to bless them upon meeting them for the first time in his life.
15	* AgainstMyReligion: Moses has troubles just looking at other women than his wife (or tradition-observing Jewish women with covered hair), having to go through a RedLightDistrict is a nightmare for him, and ditching his visible signs of Hasidism (black clothes, beard, hair) to save his own life doesn't sit too well with him.
16	* AllJewsAreAshkenazi: All the Jews seen in the film are Ashkenazi, since it mainly takes place in such communities that originated in Eastern Europe and moved to Antwerp (nicknamed "The Northern Jerusalem") and Paris. Ironically, Richard Anconina and Michel Boujenah are Sephardic with roots in Northern Africa, not Ashkenazi. A majority Sephardic counterpart comedy would happen ten years later, with Anconina again, ''Film/LaVeriteSiJeMens''.
17	* AsTheGoodBookSays: Moses quotes the [[Literature/TheBible Torah]] sometimes, since he knows it by heart.
18	* AuthorAppeal: Another comedy involving Jewish characters and their ties to the religion per Gérard Oury's own background after ''Film/TheMadAdventuresOfRabbiJacob'' and ''Film/AceOfAces''.
19	* BarBrawl:
20	** In order to escape Goliath in a bar, Moses comes to him and causes him to be MistakenForRacist amidst a diverse bunch of patrons. The ensuing chaos allows Moses and Malika to flee.
21	** Moses and Albert pull this off again on Goliath as he comes at the gay club, this time making him look like he's homophobic. It works again, and after the brawl the gays and drag queens of the club throw Goliath in the street.
22	* BeardnessProtectionProgram: In order not to be recognized by Goliath and in addition to having to wear non-religious clothes (something he's [[AgainstMyReligion deeply uncomfortable with]]), Moses has to have his beard shaved and his payes cut off.
23	* BigBad: Goliath, a [[TheQuincyPunk ruthless punkish]] drug dealer who wants his shipment of cocaine that got slipped in Moses' bag back.
24	* BitterWeddingSpeech: Albert's tirade at Moses' wedding, about [[BlackSheep being shunned by the family]] for not being observant of the religion and about how only his mother thought about inviting him.
25	* BlackSheep: Albert has been shunned by his family (outside of his mother who loves him regardless) because he's always felt strict observance of Judaism just isn't for him. Tellingly, no-one came to his marriage with the gentile Brigitte, and no-one outside of his mother invited him to the wedding of Moses.
26	* {{Bookworm}}: In addition to his advanced rabbinical studies (he knows the Torah by heart, among other things), Moses also has a deep interest in UsefulNotes/AncientEgyptianHistory (possibly stemming from the ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'' and the ''Literature/BookOfExodus'') and knows hieroglyphs. He also knows Old Aramaic, Coptic, UsefulNotes/{{Latin\|Language}} and [[UsefulNotes/GreekLanguage Ancient Greek]]. And some Russian, English and German, though he admits he's not very skilled at these, preferring dead languages.
27	* ChemicallyInducedInsanity: When using the cocaine as they believe it's diamond powder, the car factory workers get high from the cloud of cocaine and build a comically silly car with randomly stitched together parts as a result.
28	* ClosetShuffle: When Goliath's bikers come at Albert's café looking for Moses, Moses and Malika hide in a closet. Malika's body against his own makes Moses deeply uncomfortable, yet again.
29	* CoolCar: Goliath's car is a vintage black Citroën 15 Traction Avant (front-wheel drive).
30	* {{Crossdresser}}: "Bijou" is a DragQueen who turns out to be a police inspector. He's never seen wearing men's clothes.
31	* DesignatedGirlFight: During the final fight, while Moses, Albert and Bijou fight Goliath and his gang, Malika fights the woman of Goliath's gang.
32	* DirtyHarriet: Inspector Delaroche investigates while in DragQueen attire as "Bijou".
33	* DivineAssistance: God comes to Moses' help at least twice. The first when he orders him to hide in a NoTellMotel in Pigalle to escape Goliath's gang, and the second when he inspires him to bring down Goliath with a [[ImprovisedWeapon makeshift]] {{s\|uffer The Slings}}ling using the biblical David vs Goliath story from the ''Literature/BooksOfSamuel''.
34	* FamilyMan: Moses is not one yet (having just married) while Albert has a wife and two children (and he's happy at that).
35	* FingertipDrugAnalysis:
36	** Inspector Gendron tastes the "cocaine" Moses was carrying for the ransom, and it turns out it's diamond powder.
37	** Goliath's NumberTwo does the same with the (genuine) pack of cocaine Delaroche/Bijou gives to Moses for the ransom, and confirms it's the drug.
38	* {{God}}: Moses can actually talk to God (voiced by Roger Hanin), who appears to him in [[LightIsGood halos of light]]. Sometimes he speaks with a Yiddish accent, sometimes he uses other accents.
39	* ItsSnowingCocaine:
40	** One of the cops hunting the cocaine courier passing as a hunchback pierces his fake hunch, which makes cocaine powder leak, which helps them when they chase after him through Montreuil.
41	** After the diamond powder bags/cocaine bags switcheroo happens at the car factory Moses goes to, the drug bags are opened and their content is spread in the factory, and the workers unknowingly sniff it.
42	** At the end, Moses showers Goliath with the pack of cocaine he brings him and the final fight erupts.
43	* JewishSmartass: The uncle of Moses and Albert gives a witty answer to each and every one of Albert's arguments against Orthodox Judaism at Albert's wedding.
44	* TheLawFirmOfPunPunAndWordplay: When asked by his friend why he didn't take on a more ambitious career than powder diamond dealer, like studying law and becoming a big name lawyer, Moses answers that his job allows him to intellectually focus on God when he comes back home, and that ending up in a "Stein & Stein & Stein & Stein..." law firm doesn't appeal to him.
45	* {{Leitmotif}}: {{God}} has [[https://youtu.be/RgjFiKIH4B4 his own leitmotif]] whenever he appears to Moses. It sounds like it comes straight out of a Biblical EpicMovie.
46	* LightIsGood: God appears to Moses in halos of light sometimes, always to give important/life-saving advices.
47	* LiteralMinded: Moses takes French slang quite literally instead of figuratively.
48	* MeaningfulName: Goliath is named as such for the parallel with the David vs Goliath story from the ''Literature/BooksOfSamuel'' at the end.
49	* NiceGuy:
50	** Even though he shuns his brother, Moses is otherwise polite, wants to do right by {{God}} and everyone around him (and his brother as well eventually), and he's also a militant who fights to improve the condition and liberties of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refusenik refusenik]] Jews in the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] (from which part or all of his family obviously comes from). Tellingly, God casually chats with him and even [[DivineAssistance directly helps him]] at least twice.
51	** Albert is a {{good parent\|s}} and never hesitates to jump in to help his brother even if the latter shuns him for not following the religion.
52	** Inspector Delaroche aka "Bijou", a DragQueen and police officer who clearly understands the situation the Lévy brothers are in because of Goliath and does his best to help them, in addition to being gentle (and not just because of his lady persona).
53	* TheNoseKnows: Instead of a dog, the police uses a drug-sniffing pig named Louise.
54	* ObfuscatingDisability: Goliath's first drug courier passes as a hunchback and hides the cocaine in his fake hunched back.
55	* PlatonicProstitution: Moses pays Charlotte the prostitute just so he can hide from Goliath in a room of the NoTellMotel, not doing anything with her. Making matters more difficult for him is that she immediately goes bare-breasted, naked butt and StockingFiller and all as he calls his brother for help and does his best to not look at her.
56	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain:
57	** "Bijou" is cornered by a gang of neo-Nazi UsefulNotes/{{skinheads}} at one point, and they get beaten up by the karate-practicing Albert.
58	** Goliath is ''not'' one by any means, but both Moses and Albert employ a ruse to have him pass off as one in, respectively, a bar with a diverse bunch of patrons and a gay club so everyone will turn on him and Moses and Albert will be able to escape, and it works both times.
59	* PopTheTires: When Moses and Malika escape Goliath's bikers in Albert's café, Malika pops the tires of the bikes so they won't be able to chase them.
60	* PrayerIsALastResort: Following the kidnapping of Malika by Goliath, Albert tells Moses to do what he does best, that is, praying in a synagogue, which is what he does next.
61	* TheQuincyPunk: Goliath is an antagonistic punk in TheEighties.
62	* RedLightDistrict: Poor Moses is chased by Goliath through Pigalle in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}. Aka the district of hookers, porn theaters, peep shows, sex shops and the like, and he does his best to not look at anything/any girl there per his religious observance, referring to the place as "{{So\|iled City On A Hill}}dom". Then {{God}} ''orders'' Moses to save his own life by going in a NoTellMotel, and he obeys.
63	* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Delaroche/Bijou lets a ladylike scream out when one of Goliath's men opens fire near his feet.
64	* ShoutOut: There's a poster of the film ''[[Film/ManonDesSources Jean de Florette]]'' at the 59th minute.
65	* SiblingYinYang: Moses has a very Jewish name, follows Orthodox Judaism to the letter (including always wearing Hasidic clothes), has conversations with God himself, works in a diamond powder business, married a Jewish woman, doesn't know how to fight all that much and is scared to simply look at non-Jewish women who don't cover their hair. Albert has a more secular name, left religion behind, wears whatever he wants, married a gentile woman, practices martial arts and owns a non-kosher café.
66	* SinisterSwitchblade:
67	** Goliath's primary weapon, which is assorted with his [[TheQuincyPunk Quincy Punk]] theming.
68	** One of the neo-Nazi skinheads tries to attack Albert with one too.
69	* StealingFromThieves: At the end, Moses and Albert are given a suitcase full of money by a mob leader who thinks they're there on behalf of Goliath and takes the "drug" (actually, the bag of diamond powder) that Moses was carrying. Albert then immediately thinks about using that money to buy himself a new café (after the previous one got burned down), while Moses tries to dissuade him out of his religious beliefs, citing the Ten Commandments.
70	* SufferTheSlings: At the end, just as Goliath is about to gut Albert with his switchblade, God appears to Moses and recites him the part of the ''Literature/BooksOfSamuel'' where the biblical David uses his sling to hit the biblical Goliath in the forehead. Moses then instantly uses a makeshift sling to send a sizeable tightening nut right in Goliath's forehead, knocking him out. Then [[TheCavalry the police bursts in]].
71	* WatchOutForThatTree: A man with several dogs on leashes is dragged by them during the chase at the Montreuil market, and he ends up hitting a tree.
72	* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: After the fight against the neo-Nazis, "Bijou" brings Albert and Moses to a gay club for an AfterActionPatchup. There are {{Drag Queen}}s and ChippendalesDancers aplenty at that place.

Context Film / LevyAndGoliath