Review by dierregi

Fred is an unemployed blue collar worker who gets involved in dirty deeds by his friend and neighbour Michel. The story is narrated in a rather confusing way and without any style or sophistication, as a sort of "realistic" and vaguely sordid documentary.

Fred and his companion Lisa, a separated mother of one, live in an anonymous suburb, the stress being on anonymous. Lisa works as a receptionist in an medical analysis lab and she has a very lusty relationship with Fred. The two are shown several times engaged in sex but never in any meaningful conversation or anything that suggests their relations is more than skin deep passion.

Fred is played by Lindon who has a knack for this type of brutish, ordinary, poorly educated character while Lisa is Courau, a second rate Binoche wannabe. Her Lisa wears no make up and no underwear, and is just a very ordinary woman destined to fall for someone like Fred.

The criminal angle is played very low key, with a couple of believable thugs, just sinister enough to be scary. The police inspector in charge of Fred case is an alcoholic guy who looks like a bum and overestimates wildly his professional skills. There are very few thrills as the plot proceeds mostly following Fred trying to make sense of what is going on and being not too smart. Picks up towards the end, but the end itself is abysmally abrupt.