Ruthless executive Christine brings on Isabelle as her assistant, and she takes delight in toying with the young woman's innocence. But when the protégé's ideas become tempting enough for Christine to pass one as her own, she underestimates Isabelle's ambition and cunning -- and the ground is set for all out war.
The final film from director Alain Corneau, Love Crime pits the fiery talents of Ludivine Sagnier and Oscar-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas against each other in a deliciously twisted tale of office politics that turn, literally, cut-throat. When Christine, a powerful executive (Scott Thomas), brings on a naive young ingenue, Isabelle (Sagnier), as her assistant, she delights in toying with her naivete and teaching her hard lessons in a ruthless professional philosophy. But when the protege's ideas become tempting enough for Christine to pass one as her own, she underestimates Isabelle's ambition and cunning- and the ground is set for all out war. In this devilish, propulsive thriller, Corneau sets up the scenery expertly and his actors devour it.
When Christine, a powerful executive (Scott Thomas), brings on a naive young ingenue, Isabelle (Sagnier), as her assistant, she delights in toying with her naivete and teaching her hard lessons in a ruthless professional philosophy. But when the protege's ideas become tempting enough for Christine to pass one as her own, she underestimates Isabelle's ambition and cunning-- and the ground is set for all out war. In this devilish, propulsive thriller, Corneau sets up a the scenery expertly and his actors devour it.
There's suspense to spare in the early stages of the French thriller Love Crime, directed by Alain Corneau. It's evident even in the apparently low-key opening scene, in which an executive, Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her assistant, Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier), are going over preparations for a business trip, and the air is filled with sexual tension, ambiguity and subtle but pointed assertion of power. Christine, we discover, likes to play games. She's excellent at her job, but one of the things she is particularly good at is taking credit for other people's work. She enjoys flattering, flirting with and making use of Isabelle. Her assistant, although smart and ambitious, is willing to go along with it.
Then as the stakes are raised, and the balance starts to shift, Christine makes her domination clear. Yet Isabelle is not necessarily ready to back down. Something has to give, and someone is going to pay.
When things are in flux, and the two actresses are at the centre of things, Love Crime - the late director's last film - can be fun to watch.
Scott Thomas is wonderfully cold and suave, and Sagnier can effortlessly combine unravelling fragility and gradually hardening resolve. But the plot begins to take over - an implausibly complicated yet rather obvious scenario that could do with a couple of extra twists. Rather than contemplating the tension of performance, we are resigned to watching the elements of the story click mechanically and rather drearily into place.
Then as the stakes are raised, and the balance starts to shift, Christine makes her domination clear. Yet Isabelle is not necessarily ready to back down. Something has to give, and someone is going to pay.
When things are in flux, and the two actresses are at the centre of things, Love Crime - the late director's last film - can be fun to watch.
Scott Thomas is wonderfully cold and suave, and Sagnier can effortlessly combine unravelling fragility and gradually hardening resolve. But the plot begins to take over - an implausibly complicated yet rather obvious scenario that could do with a couple of extra twists. Rather than contemplating the tension of performance, we are resigned to watching the elements of the story click mechanically and rather drearily into place.
LOVE CRIME was Alain Corneau's last film. He died of lung cancer last year, aged 67, shortly after the film was released in France, which may mean that he knew he was dying during its production.
If so, there is no sign that this was some kind of culmination work. In fact, it's more of a departure, because it's a film about women. Corneau was best known internationally for Tous les Matins du Monde (All the Mornings of the World, 1991), in which Gerard Depardieu played a 17th-century musician, but Corneau's reputation in France was as an efficient director of hard-bitten police thrillers and crime dramas, such as Choice of Arms (1981) and Serie Noire (1979) - films about men in a man's world.
In the press notes for Love Crime, Corneau admits that he brought Nathalie Carter (Secret Defence) in to work with him on the script because he was struggling with the female characters. She apparently told him that his two heroines ''were more like men disguised as women, bursting with testosterone''. There is still some trace of that, but that's probably necessary for the story, set inside the Paris offices of a large American agri-business.
Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a successful senior executive - polished, painted and ruthless. Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier) is a talented, devoted acolyte who tries hard to be like her. Working late at home, Christine is more affectionate than in the office. She kisses the younger woman's neck, tells her she's pretty and gives her a beautiful scarf she's wearing. The vulnerable Isabelle feels a strong attraction.
If so, there is no sign that this was some kind of culmination work. In fact, it's more of a departure, because it's a film about women. Corneau was best known internationally for Tous les Matins du Monde (All the Mornings of the World, 1991), in which Gerard Depardieu played a 17th-century musician, but Corneau's reputation in France was as an efficient director of hard-bitten police thrillers and crime dramas, such as Choice of Arms (1981) and Serie Noire (1979) - films about men in a man's world.
In the press notes for Love Crime, Corneau admits that he brought Nathalie Carter (Secret Defence) in to work with him on the script because he was struggling with the female characters. She apparently told him that his two heroines ''were more like men disguised as women, bursting with testosterone''. There is still some trace of that, but that's probably necessary for the story, set inside the Paris offices of a large American agri-business.
Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a successful senior executive - polished, painted and ruthless. Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier) is a talented, devoted acolyte who tries hard to be like her. Working late at home, Christine is more affectionate than in the office. She kisses the younger woman's neck, tells her she's pretty and gives her a beautiful scarf she's wearing. The vulnerable Isabelle feels a strong attraction.
Christine is single but she has a convenient sexual relationship with Philippe (Patrick Mille), an executive at a company supplying services to the agri-business.
She sends Isabelle in her place to close a deal in Cairo, so Philippe goes in support. Isabelle falls easily into his arms. She wants desperately to be her boss, but she's afraid of her own weakness. Isabelle is ordered, neat, lonely and dedicated only to work.
She allows Christine to take all her best ideas and pass them off as her own, although she is shocked at how brazenly she does it. Isabelle learns a lesson: she develops her next good idea in secret. Christine's reaction is volcanic. She declares war, and one of her weapons is public humiliation.
This is where Corneau's purpose becomes clear, as he returns to a variation of the kind of crime thriller in which he specialised. He called it a Fritz Lang idea but it might just as easily have attracted Hitchcock.
It's a technical problem: if someone commits a murder for which they will immediately be suspected, how can they get away with it? That means the film has two distinct halves, one of which is more gripping than the other.
The first half is deliberately cold, with many scenes shot in a sterile office tower. These are slightly less than convincing, partly because they're so stylised. In the second half, Corneau has a job he likes more, putting together a tight plot with strong elements of surprise. He does this well enough to overcome the aridity of the earlier scenes.
The second technical problem is how to prevent it becoming histrionic, like an episode of Dallas, or simply manipulative, like a French variation on Damages (the American hit series in which Glenn Close and Rose Byrne conduct a private war in a corporate world). He never quite solves those problems, although they may work in the film's favour for some viewers.
With actors as accomplished as Scott Thomas and Sagnier, the film could hardly be dull, and it isn't. Sagnier's performance is superb, and a tribute to Corneau's skill with two very fine actors.
