Liebe und Intrigen

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.

Someone who says that only men are capable of cruelty has not watched this movie. A fine example of cruelty and a very good movie (with very good actresses as well). I won't spoil anything about the story or the characters, but I can tell you that it is more about the road than the ultimate goal. It isn't very hard to see where this is heading and you might also see what it achieves to do.

Still very well made and executed with the mentioned central performances that are just amazing. The women go head to head (with different style and results of course), which might be enough for you to not see the obvious flaws. It was as you can see and read, enough for me.

Large, spacious offices with magnificent views, a cluster of seemingly enviably successful business people.Everything is elegant and stylish, clothes and furniture. Almost like a perfect place on earth. But, this is corporate world, thickly populated with useful sociopaths, the lucky ones that made their pathology not only acceptable, but highly profitable. Well, good for them, but not so good for us. Their ruthless and efficient lunacy, transformed our world into new gladiator arena. Survival of the sickest. No room for compassion or decency. Hence the famous mantra of the demonic new ruling class. It's not personal, it's business. Dangerous saying for dangerous times. A permit to maim and slaughter all who are less deserving, and that's everybody, except themselves.Because who works harder doing nothing useful as this coven of warlocks and witches. New horror for the new era.

In Paris, Christine Rivière (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a tough executive of a French corporation. Her assistant Isabelle Guérin (Ludivine Sagnier) is an intelligent and cunning young woman needy of love and affection. When Isabelle is assigned to travel to Cairo with the lawyer Philippe Deschamps (Patrick Mille) to show her project, her idea is successful and Isabelle and Philippe have one night stand. Back in France, the senior management in the headquarter in Washington congratulates Christine for the project and she does not give the credit to Isabelle. Soon she notes that the manipulative Christine is using her to climb in the corporation. When her secretary Daniel (Guillaume Marquet) shows another project from Washington, Isabelle proposes improvements but does not show them to Christine. They have a meeting with the American executives and Isabelle is congratulated by them. Christine begins a war and humiliates Isabelle first using Philippe that has embezzled a large amount and is in her hands and then in a party. Isabelle plots a scheme and kills Christine at home. However the calculating Isabelle leaves many evidences in the crime scene incriminating herself and does not have an alibi.

"Crime d'amour" is another great French thriller with a good story of ambition, ingratitude and revenge. The two lead actresses, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier, are wonderful and their duel is engaging. The theme, competition in a corporation, is a reality and the viewer will certainly identify characters with real real coworkers or ex-coworkers. The conclusion shows how dangerous is the secretary Daniel. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Crime de Amor" ("Love Crime")