Fair Play

Even if I am French, I am not a fanatical "french cinema lover". I think that too often french directors have more pretensions than real abilities. But, Fair Play is really a good film for those who, like me, have had difficult relationships in their job environment. Things are a little bit "over the top" in this movie, for sure. But the actors are so good... Give it a try, if you want to see how intelligence can mesh today with satirical criticism. Eric Savin is a real "ego monster" cruel and seductive. Benoit Magimel is without a doubt one of the more promising young french actors. Marion Cotillard gives a great performance too, playing a complex secretary, half shy and fearful, half aggressive and selfish. And, of course, Lionel Bailiu knows how to film. He does it like an entomologist watching his poor creatures fighting against the harshness of a meaningless existence.

A very realistic drama, the kind of scheme that we don't see so much. It is a topic about submission, humiliation between manager and employee or between two colleagues in a company. It is another way to describe the company jungle, the nastiest, disgusting ways used by ruthless managers or executives to select, get rid of weak collaboraters. It may seem horrible, gruesome, but so close to reality. Many employees, whatever their rank, their grade, may be the victim of their superiors. We can compare this story with a headhunters topic: selection, ruthless selection, whatever the means to obtain results. Eric Savin is here totally nasty, the perfect motherf.... A character that you will enjoy to see die, suffer. A pure delightful, but disturbing movie for some audiences, especially those who could have lived this. And it is also obvious that some scenes of this film, some elements, have been inspired from DELIVERANCE. First the river settings and also the scheme of the he man, the tough leader, who is suddenly wounded and the other "weak" companions have to rescue, help him. An excellent study, analysis of power and balance of power. Some weak points though, dialogues, screenplay flaws that could have been avoided with a better actors directing.

Office politics and employment issues among key members of a company are taken outside and into various sporting activities.

First, we have in a squash court, CEO Charles and one of his key salespeople, Alexandre, a less aggressive man than Charles and who lost an important contract. Alexandre is having an affair with accounts manager, Nicole. She's pretty but has made an accounting error.

Then, we have jogging round a gentle assault course Nicole and rival salesman, Jean-Claude. He starts to needle her and then harassing her, seemingly with the aim to ask her to sabotage Alexandre's chances of landing the task of winning another big contract, so he can get it.

On the golf course, MD Edourd, who happens to be Nicole's father is having a round with Charles. Finally, a team building exercise in a flooded ravine has all of them talking, baiting and arguing and where the stakes - and drama - are that much higher.

The point is that, through the particular activity at the time, how far can these workmates push the boundaries of sportsmanship and fair-play? Squash balls get smashed into bodies, verbal and physical threats abound and rules flouted. Similar in the others, too.

It's a reasonably good and efficient way of having an otherwise conventional drama and turning it into something more interesting and believable. Manicured golf courses tend to look nicer than boardrooms, anyway!

Fair Play is quite different to the usual French fare that we normally expect. I saw it on the satellite French movie channel, Cinemoi. Radio Times didn't even list it online and IMDb had absolutely no synopsis to give an indication of what it was about.

Is it any good? Well, I wouldn't buy it but there again I was happy to see it for the small amount extra that Cinemoi costs. It's acted well, but most of it features the uglier sides of human nature - this is far from a sweet romantic and gentle comedy that French directors make so well. The dialogue is well written and the few characters that there are, believable. It's well filmed, too, with quite a fast moving camera (but not jerkily hand-held, thank goodness) that makes the most of some usually static locations.

I cannot readily compare it with any British of U.S film I can think of. It's more a play, but outside, in real situations. Take it as that and if you like human emotions running their natural course, then, it's fairly good, but not enough for 7/10.

Interesting idea, well developed and executed. Start was perhaps little pale, but under squash-verbal duel we could see what 'fair-play' goes in jungle called employment in happier part of World.

After it comes real survival thing in wilderness, very well shot. We can think how far we really developed from wilderness 'population'...

Actors were very good - in not easy conditions in second half. For non-French people most is unknown. I knew only about Marion Cotillard, who I saw first in Taxi (only as decoration), then she proved that is class actress in 'Un long dimanche ...' .

Pacing was very good, and duration of 90 min is just apropriate for story and events.

Watch it if can find...

I ask myself: will Hollywood remake this, and how much overdone ?