L'Enquête

Considering the long history of french movie making, this is only an OK movie. The topic/ story is very interesting and not to forget, current. The script should be a director's wet dream, but yet, the focus of the movie is too much on the central character, the way he interacts with his wife, his children and how he constantly drives a car using a cell phone. It almost seemed like the director tried to distract the viewer. The much better movie on a similar subject is "99 Homes". If you can forgive the current french movie makers that seemingly ignore their own history and the existences of Godard, Truffaut, Malle and Bresson, this is a watchable movie, but it could have been a lot better.

the movie was an important story of bank corruption and money laundering. My review is from a filmmaker's point of view. Most filmmakers would turn movie about banks, computer screens, and courts into a crushing boring movie. Considering that the filmmaking of this story was just tremendous. The cinematographer and whoever did location scouting got some breathtaking landscapes as backgrounds. Most people would film the reporter was on the phone against some gray wall. But that one scene he had him in a dead end alley covered with this beautiful colored graffiti. When he gets a lead and takes off on the highway the movie kicks with dramatic rock and roll music. The story was suspenseful without any car chases or shootouts.

I speak French, but watched this with a friend who does not, and we both enjoyed it very much. It's suspenseful and the casting is excellent. Gilles Lelouche drives the movie as a determined and gutsy left-wing journalist who never seems to get nervous (as the viewer does when he meets his "sources" in shady locales). It was also fun to spot Charles Berling again in another good role after Ridicule. Laurent Capelluto is convincing and mysterious in his role as as a financier accused of fraud. In fact, all of the characters are memorable. The cinematography is also beautiful, with rarely seen shots of Luxembourg. Yes, this is based on a true story. Watch it!

"The Clearstream Affair" from 2014 is the true story of Denis Robert, played here by Gilles Lellouche, a journalist who persisted in his fight to prove the dishonest practices of the banking firm Clearstream.

Since a lot of politicians and higher-ups are involved, he has a hard time of it, especially since witnesses are too afraid to come forward. But the more he finds out, the worse the scandal becomes, and he finds himself embroiled in dozens of lawsuits for libel.

This is a real David v. Goliath story, and we don't see how it actually ended - that's told in the chirons at the end of the film.

There was an emphasis on Robert's dealing with his family, which I could have done without - the actual story of the invisible bank accounts, the raven list, etc., and betrayal from the inside is interesting in its own right.

I thought this could have been better, though it is a compelling story of corruption at the very top and how hard it is for someone attempting to get at the truth.