Summary
Betty and Victor are a pair of confidence tricksters who make a living by winning the
confidence of their chosen victims and then walking off with his or her money at the most
appropriate juncture. For the past year, Betty has been forming a relationship
with a man who is involved with laundering money. Her plan is to accompany him on
his next assignment and to disappear with his suitcase, containing several million Swiss
francs. Unfortunately, things do no go quite according to plan. Betty and
Victor soon discover that, in playing for the highest stakes, they could be heading for
a very rough tumble.
Review
Whilst not as dark and interesting as some of Chabrol’s earlier thrillers, this film is
not a bad effort. It is a pleasure to watch Isabelle Huppert and Michel Serrault
playing two pretty hard-nosed criminals who ultimately get out of their depth, although
one senses that both actors have some dissatisfaction with the quality of the script.
The photography is appealing, particularly the shots in the Swiss Alps. The best
part of the film is probably the typically Chabrolesque moment when Huppert’s character
discovers the fate of her cheated boyfriend. With Puccini’s Tosca playing loudly
in the background, the scene is as dark and chilling as in any of Chabrol’s films, and
Huppert captures the mood brilliantly.
Overall, however, the film is something of a disappointment. Lacking in content
and substance, without any clear moral perspective, it falls far short of being completely
satisfying.
© James Travers 2000
For more on Claude Chabrol see:
The life of Claude Chabrol
Le Beau Serge
Les Cousins
Le Boucher
Que la bête meure
La Cérémonie
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