Love Crime (2010)

Sadly Over-hyped

Just what I expected

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

For the first couple of reels this is little more than Mike Nichol's 'Working Girl' with a French accent then Corneau subtly changes gear and ups the ante. To be honest I would have wished Corneau a better swansong than this. The film he made immediately prior to this - a genuine remake of Melville's Le Deuxieme Soufflé - was flawed and one longed for him to get back to the great days personified by Police Python 357. I've always had an aversion to Ludo Sagnier just as she long had an aversion to working with her clothes on (ironically, this time around she even coyly pulls a sheet around her to get out of bed) the truth of the matter is she's just that that much of an actress naked or fully clothed. No matter, Kristin Scott Thomas is well up to the task of carrying Sagnier - and most everyone else too, if anybody asks you. It's pleasant enough though the twists are not so much turns of the screw as rotations of a thumb-tack. Good for one viewing.

I see this film is getting quite mixed reviews. I personally thought it was a very well thought out, perfectly executed thriller. The film moves quickly, you are very quickly aware of the dynamics between characters. The women are beautiful but without being overdone, a rarity. Great fashion. It was also nice to see a view of Paris like this. Corporate, cold. Without giving away too much of the plot, you really feel the tug of war of the central character, Isabelle. However you are never really sure who to trust in this film and it plays out beautifully in the last scenes. I found the quality of acting across the board, superb. I really liked the unsung hero of the film, Isabelle's work colleague. Loved him. Definitely a go see in my opinion!

Kristin Scott Thomas is one of the better, and still under-appreciated, actresses. She also happens to be fluent in both English and French, so she is a natural for the part of Christine , ruthless boss in this Paris office. It never is quite clear what they do, but they do studies and make presentations to clients that will help them increase their business tremendously.So in this Paris office Ludivine Sagnier (of 'Swimming Pool' fame) is the hot-shot, right-hand woman Isabelle Guérin. She is so good that after she does a detailed study, Christine sends her to Cairo to deliver the presentation herself. But then a couple of days later, in the Paris office, Christine is on a phone call, with Isabelle standing right there, and Christine takes full credit for Isabelle's work, further enhancing her promotion possibilities to that better job in New York.Isabelle is stunned but Christien assures her 'that is the way things are done' and if they all stick together they will all be better off. However this never sits well with Isabelle, and things get even worse after she is double-crossed with a man involved.Frankly the situations do not seem legitimate, for a number of reasons and many of the later developments are clearly telegraphed well in advance. Still it is fun to see the story unfolding. Sagnier, who seems to be best known for her nudity in film, shows that she is a very capable actress and in fact the film contains no nudity.SPOILERS: Isabelle decides that her only recourse is to kill Christine. So she systematically sets up the crime so that it points to her, and she is arrested and charged. But she had in fact taken the time to set up clues to eventually free her, and to frame the dishonest man for the crime. However, in the end her faithful assistant, Guillaume Marquet as Daniel , lets her know he understands what she did and she will have to keep him happy to keep her secret.

This movie is another fine example of why I like French Movies. The movie is a psychological thriller and it has a brilliantly planned and executed murder for revenge. Let me start by saying that watching a film with two women executives fighting the traditional men's games was an original idea that some audiences, especially in America might not appreciate as much as audiences familiar with foreign/Euro movies; that's too bad because there is such a wealth of talent there that America has been missing out for years. Hollywood is slowly now using that talent, not only in the use of actors, but cinematography and action choreography. I digress. The two lead roles, Christine and Isabelle, played respectively by Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier are well done and directed. Scott Thomas has played a role of ruthless executive in another movie I enjoyed immensely, the 2008 movie 'Largo Winch'; you must see that movie (click on IMDb 'Jrlock' author link to see my review of it). Anyone familiar with her work knows to watch her movies; I've seen many French movies she's played in and I'm a fan, not just of her English speaking roles.Ludivine Sagnier is no new comer; she has an extensive filmography I've only recently been paying attention to. Her range of character performances is not limited; in recent reviews of mine, she is mentioned not just in passing. In this movie, she takes a second position to that of Scott Thomas, but not for long. As much as Christine was ruthless and cunning, Isabelle displays identical traits only developed as the character takes shape before a surprised audience. I absolutely loved the murder plot and scheme Isabelle devised to clear herself. I won't spoil the movie any more by giving further hints or details; that's where you can have fun. The ending scenes were very smart and will have you shaking your head in admiration. I resisted using the 'tough love' pun as my movie summary but couldn't resist inserting it here; you'll have to see the movie to get this pun.