gelman@attglobal.net
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.
Ben Larson
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.
David Traversa
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.
mikeolliffe
The writer/director wastes the time of everyone involved in this film, and everyone who mistakenly watches it. I know I indicated spoilers lurk within this review, but I'll try to avoid the more obvious ones.In real life, we know that everyone is just about capable of everything. A trivial incident can send one person into a rage. In our films, however, we want more plausibility. We are able to sense when a character is not psychologically true.If we accept that our protagonist is an intelligent, capable businesswoman, we must be provided with extremely good reasons for that character to go off the rails.The film-makers are decidedly cynical when they inject quasi-Lesbianism for box-office returns. They should instead have tried reading 'Business for Dummies' because it appears they know next to nothing about business life. (A smart person would know that to extensively humiliate a younger colleague in public, someone she herself had been mentoring, would reflect negatively on herself.)I hope the actresses involved get some decent material to work with. Soon.
AD
