The first thing you’ll notice about Luc Besson’s Mafia action comedy, The Family, is its stellar cast, featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones. The film functions as a tongue-in-cheek look at the life of a gangster trying to escape his sordid past. It’s also a fish-out-of-water comedy in the way that this former mob boss still solves problems like he used to.

A notorious mobster who snitched on his own “family” finds himself in France with his wife and two kids as part of a witness protection programme. Unable to fit in with the local community, for the umpteenth time, they find keeping their cover more and more difficult to do as their history of violence and knack for organised crime resurfaces. They could have been vampires, but this is a gangster flick.

Robert De Niro is a fine actor, one who many would say hasn’t been part of a great movie for some time. Unfortunately, the same can be said for The Family. While the premise of an undercover mobster and his family trying to pass as ordinary Americans in France has potential, the film suffers from a genre identity crisis.

Luc Besson’s films are dynamic with touches of comedy, however The Family doesn’t seem as surefooted, unable to balance the dark comedy against the violent action. The performances range from comedic to dead serious with a whirlpool of tonal shifts. Unfortunately, while entertaining, The Family comes across as discordant, uneven and contrived in places.

“Baseball, no, but I once smashed a couple in the park.”

The calibre of the cast go a long way to redeeming these inconsistencies, however they are unable to save the film. Robert De Niro plays a sadistic and somewhat charming spoof of some of his most famous roles. Then it’s great to see Michelle Pfeiffer again, playing opposite De Niro as a wily retired mob trophy wife.

Tommy Lee Jones delivers his usual leather-faced special agent performance, almost like a “20 years later…” version of his character in The Fugitive. Diana Agron (I Am Number Four) and John D’Leo (Wanderlust) deserve a special mention as the mobster high school misfits. Agron is a beautifully maniacal teenager with several of the most memorable scenes, while D’Leo makes a charming knock off the old block.

The Family is entertaining and has some wickedly funny moments, but the sadistic and violent tone narrows the appeal of this action comedy. One moment involving a French newspaper almost derails the entire film, and actually functions as a turning point as the action intensifies. Despite Luc Besson’s best efforts, The Family will have to go down as a misfire.

The bottom line: Discordant

Release date: 1 November, 2013
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