Film / Lévy and Goliath

Lévy and Goliath (French: Lévy et Goliath) is a 1987 French action comedy film directed by Gérard Oury. Vladimir Cosma composed the soundtrack.

The two Lévy brothers couldn't be more different. Moses (Richard Anconina) is strictly observant of Orthodox Judaism, married in the religion, works as a diamond powder dealer in 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 Paris and married a non-Jewish woman.

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.

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Lévy and Goliath provides examples of:

• '80s Hair: The female drug courier who slips packs of cocaine in Moses' bag has a curly shag.
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head:
  • Moses affectionately touches the top of his brother Albert's head when the latter comes to his help at the No-Tell Motel when Goliath is out in the streets of Pigalle looking for him.
  • Moses later does the same with his nephews (Albert's children) to bless them upon meeting them for the first time in his life.
• Against My Religion: Moses has troubles just looking at other women than his wife (or tradition-observing Jewish women with covered hair), having to go through a Red Light District 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.
• All Jews Are Ashkenazi: 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, La Vérité si je mens!.
• As the Good Book Says...: Moses quotes the Torah sometimes, since he knows it by heart.
• Author Appeal: Another comedy involving Jewish characters and their ties to the religion per Gérard Oury's own background after The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob and Ace of Aces.
• Bar Brawl:
  • In order to escape Goliath in a bar, Moses comes to him and causes him to be Mistaken for Racist amidst a diverse bunch of patrons. The ensuing chaos allows Moses and Malika to flee.
  • 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.
• Beardness Protection Program: In order not to be recognized by Goliath and in addition to having to wear non-religious clothes (something he's deeply uncomfortable with), Moses has to have his beard shaved and his payes cut off.
• Big Bad: Goliath, a ruthless punkish drug dealer who wants his shipment of cocaine that got slipped in Moses' bag back.
• Bitter Wedding Speech: Albert's tirade at Moses' wedding, about being shunned by the family for not being observant of the religion and about how only his mother thought about inviting him.
• Black Sheep: 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.
• Bookworm: In addition to his advanced rabbinical studies (he knows the Torah by heart, among other things), Moses also has a deep interest in Ancient Egyptian History (possibly stemming from the Book of Genesis and the Book of Exodus) and knows hieroglyphs. He also knows Old Aramaic, Coptic, Latin and Ancient Greek. And some Russian, English and German, though he admits he's not very skilled at these, preferring dead languages.
• Chemically-Induced Insanity: 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.
• Closet Shuffle: 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.
• Cool Car: Goliath's car is a vintage black Citroën 15 Traction Avant (front-wheel drive).
• Crossdresser: "Bijou" is a Drag Queen who turns out to be a police inspector. He's never seen wearing men's clothes.
• Designated Girl Fight: During the final fight, while Moses, Albert and Bijou fight Goliath and his gang, Malika fights the woman of Goliath's gang.
• Dirty Harriet: Inspector Delaroche investigates while in Drag Queen attire as "Bijou".
• Divine Assistance: God comes to Moses' help at least twice. The first when he orders him to hide in a No-Tell Motel in Pigalle to escape Goliath's gang, and the second when he inspires him to bring down Goliath with a makeshift sling using the biblical David vs Goliath story from the Books of Samuel.
• Family Man: Moses is not one yet (having just married) while Albert has a wife and two children (and he's happy at that).
• Fingertip Drug Analysis:
  • Inspector Gendron tastes the "cocaine" Moses was carrying for the ransom, and it turns out it's diamond powder.
  • Goliath's Number Two does the same with the (genuine) pack of cocaine Delaroche/Bijou gives to Moses for the ransom, and confirms it's the drug.
• God: Moses can actually talk to God (voiced by Roger Hanin), who appears to him in halos of light. Sometimes he speaks with a Yiddish accent, sometimes he uses other accents.
• It's Snowing Cocaine:
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • At the end, Moses showers Goliath with the pack of cocaine he brings him and the final fight erupts.
• Jewish Smartass: 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.
• The Law Firm of Pun, Pun, and Wordplay: 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.
• Leitmotif: God has his own leitmotif whenever he appears to Moses. It sounds like it comes straight out of a Biblical Epic Movie.
• Light Is Good: God appears to Moses in halos of light sometimes, always to give important/life-saving advices.
• Literal-Minded: Moses takes French slang quite literally instead of figuratively.
• Meaningful Name: Goliath is named as such for the parallel with the David vs Goliath story from the Books of Samuel at the end.
• Nice Guy:
  • 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 refusenik Jews in the Soviet Union (from which part or all of his family obviously comes from). Tellingly, God casually chats with him and even directly helps him at least twice.
  • Albert is a good parent and never hesitates to jump in to help his brother even if the latter shuns him for not following the religion.
  • Inspector Delaroche aka "Bijou", a Drag Queen 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).
• The Nose Knows: Instead of a dog, the police uses a drug-sniffing pig named Louise.
• Obfuscating Disability: Goliath's first drug courier passes as a hunchback and hides the cocaine in his fake hunched back.
• Platonic Prostitution: Moses pays Charlotte the prostitute just so he can hide from Goliath in a room of the No-Tell Motel, not doing anything with her. Making matters more difficult for him is that she immediately goes bare-breasted, naked butt and Stocking Filler and all as he calls his brother for help and does his best to not look at her.
• Politically Incorrect Villain:
  • "Bijou" is cornered by a gang of neo-Nazi skinheads at one point, and they get beaten up by the karate-practicing Albert.
  • 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.
• Pop the Tires: 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.
• Prayer Is a Last Resort: 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.
• The Quincy Punk: Goliath is an antagonistic punk in The '80s.
• Red Light District: Poor Moses is chased by Goliath through Pigalle in 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 "Sodom". Then God orders Moses to save his own life by going in a No-Tell Motel, and he obeys.
• Screams Like a Little Girl: Delaroche/Bijou lets a ladylike scream out when one of Goliath's men opens fire near his feet.
• Shout-Out: There's a poster of the film Jean de Florette at the 59th minute.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: 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.
• Sinister Switchblade:
  • Goliath's primary weapon, which is assorted with his Quincy Punk theming.
  • One of the neo-Nazi skinheads tries to attack Albert with one too.
• Stealing from Thieves: 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.
• Suffer the Slings: 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 Books of Samuel 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 the police bursts in.
• Watch Out for That Tree!: 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.
• Where Everybody Knows Your Flame: After the fight against the neo-Nazis, "Bijou" brings Albert and Moses to a gay club for an After-Action Patch-Up. There are Drag Queens and Chippendales Dancers aplenty at that place.

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