“Love Crime” has some of the calm, civilized appeal of a good literary mystery. There’s absolutely nothing flashy about this movie, which — considering the meticulous nature of its heroine — is completely appropriate.
Unlike most crime mysteries, however, the question here is not whodunit, but why and how?
Getting those answers make for a satisfying experience.
Let’s not spell out the crime, actually, because one of the wicked pleasures of the film is how that incident sneaks up on us. The setting is the corporate world, where Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas), a manipulative, hard-charging executive, shamelessly exploits the work of her underling, Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier).
Isabelle tires of this treatment, and for a while the movie appears to be a rather dandy look at the subtle ways a businesswoman and her protegee are going to stab each other in the back. The more Isabelle tries to succeed, the more Christine has anticipated her every move.
Then things get seriously nasty and we spend the rest of the movie wondering how this situation is going to work out. At first it’s puzzling, but all will be revealed.
Kristen Scott Thomas plays up her crisp, chic aspects, but with enough humanity so that we might deduce how Christine could have become this person, especially with the quiet reminders that this is a man’s world, still.
Ludivine Sagnier, the star of “Swimming Pool” and the recent “Devil’s Double,” makes a good contrast: If Christine is fully formed and armored, Isabelle is still putting it together. But her attention to details will serve her well as the dryly sinister tale moves along.
“Love Crime” was the final film from the director Alain Corneau, who died last year. He’s still best known for his 1991 picture, “Tous les matins du monde,” a beautiful film set amongst musicians in the 17th century.
If “Love Crime” isn’t at that level, it’s still an excellent way to go out. And it provides some welcome, dark diversion for grown-up viewers.
“Love Crime” (3 stars)
What begins as a tale of corporate intrigue between a manipulative boss (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her underling (Ludivine Sagnier) takes a turn toward the criminal. Director Alain Corneau’s dryly sinister story provides some of the pleasures of a literary mystery, although the question isn’t whodunit but why and how. In French, with English subtitles.
Rated: Not rated; probably R for violence, subject matter.
Showing: Egyptian.
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