Love Crime

Apart from saying that this movie is about competition between two ambitious female executives, I don't plan to get into the plot. The strength of the movie lies in the performances of the principals, Kristin Scott Thomas as the ruthless senior executive, and Ludivine Sagnier as her imaginative young assistant. Ms. Scott Thomas, English born but a long-time resident of France, seems to appear in an unending stream of British, French and American movies. This an unusual role for her but she is an accomplished actress and carries it off with her usual skill. The younger Ms. Sagnier is also splendid in an equally demanding part. Eventually, "Love Crime" becomes an intricately plotted murder mystery which, at least for me, is unconvincing. But I enjoyed the ride.

In Love Crime, the French have taken Mike Nichols' Working Girl and turned it into a true thriller, not just a sociological study of corporate ambition and intrigue. Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier) is the young executive in a large global corporation; Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) is her boss and mentor. All's well while they love each other; not so when Christine usurps Isa's ideas without attribution in the name of collaboration.

That first half, where the two execs jockey for success and independence, emphasizes shady but not lethal methods. When an unexpected plot twist changes the film into a more traditional thriller, the film is nonetheless fascinating as the protagonist makes her way through a maze created by herself and seemingly deadly for her career and her personal life.

The late director, Alain Corneau, crafts the intrigue so as to allow his actors the widest scope for their talent, especially Sagnier, who goes from introverted neophyte to deadly colleague learning from her mentor the tricks necessary to break through the glass ceiling. Not so successful is Corneau with the police, who can't seem to get it right even the second time around.

Typically French is the emphasis on Isabelle to be loved and Christine to be admired. The larceny that ensues can be traced to these driving emotions, and only the French can deconstruct them both and still produce an engrossing suspense.

I enjoyed this movie very much, as I usually enjoy French movies, whether they are comedies or dramas. The look of this film is impeccable, all interiors are exquisitely designed and of top quality as is the photography and the lighting, as perfect as they can get nowadays. The acting is superb and the pacing flawless. I just found among the dubious happenings, a most obvious flaw: Anyone will see immediately that a piece of cloth that was cut quite sharply with an Exacto knife, will get a sharp edge, a look totally different from a piece of the same fabric torn by accident, like getting the fabric caught on a nail or any sharp corner, accident that will practically destroy the edge of that fabric, leaving it completely unraveled. To me that is the most flagrant mistake in the whole script. Otherwise an excellent movie, quite absorbing and entertaining.

Having watched Sweet Karma earlier tonight, I don't know if I was in the mood for two revenge movies, but this is very different.

A favorite of mine, Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient, Four Wedding and a Funeral) stars with another fave, Ludivine Sagnier (Swimming Pool, 8 Women). They are number one and two in a multinational's Paris location. Christine Thomas) is not above stealing the ideas of Isabelle (Sagnier) to get transferred to New York.

This was director Alain Corneau's last film, and it has already been picked up for a remake by Brian DePalma coming out this year. It is rumored that Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes, Red Eye) and Noomi Rapace (the original Lisbeth Salander) will star.

After Christine threatens and humiliates Isabelle, she plots her revenge. Needless to say, it is an elaborate plot. I can't say anything more or it will spoil the film for you.

It had me on the edge of my seat in the second half.

As someone who firmly believes that Ludivine Sagnier and Kristin Scott Thomas are two of the finest actresses working today in any country, watching them go head-to-head against each other was obviously something I was going to be looking forward to. When it came to Love Crime, the story lacked a little bit of punch but seeing them go at it wasn't disappointing in the least. Both women are at the top of their game here, with Thomas taking some inspiration from Glenn Close in a very cold and cerebral Patty Hewes-esque role while Sagnier expertly utilizes her skill for vulnerability and sexuality.

I was hoping the whole thing would pack some real heat, so I was disappointed that it was a lot more slow-moving than I thought and wasn't as thrilling as something like this should be, but that's not to say that it didn't keep me interested throughout. The concept was pretty unique for this kind of film and it's hard to get into without bordering on spoiler territory, but I was very curious as to how the events were going to unfold. It felt like you knew what the endgame was, but seeing how the story got to that point was very intriguing. At the end of the day though, the film is all about being able to watch these great talents bounce off each other, with slightly less impact than I was expecting.