It's another wickedly humorous psychological thriller that provides a showy part for [Chabrol's] favorite star, Isabelle Huppert.
The Swindle (1997)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:25
Fresh:17
Rotten:8
Average Rating:6.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: In Claude Chabrol's fiftieth film, two lifelong partners in crime, Betty (Isabelle Hupert) and Victor (Michel Serrault), operating out of a small RV, criss-cross the country, hopping from... In Claude Chabrol's fiftieth film, two lifelong partners in crime, Betty (Isabelle Hupert) and Victor (Michel Serrault), operating out of a small RV, criss-cross the country, hopping from convention to convention and scamming bourgeois businessmen out of petty sums of money. They make enough, however, to maintain a comfortable if elusive lifestyle. When Victor discovers that Betty has been carrying on her own scam for over a year, the blurry lines between secrets and lies break down. As the scheming duo go ahead with Betty's complicated scheme to steal a breifcase from a man (Francois Cluzet) who holds the treasure of a multinational corporation, the film kicks in to high gear. Filled with switched identities, changing allegiances, suppressed romances, and switcheroos, the elaborate story, which takes viewers from the Swiss Alps to the tropics, leads to an operatic and surprising climax. True to Chabrol's style, the ambiguous and compelling psychology, always in flux, propels the drama of the film forward even more than the actual danger of the plot. [More]
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Michel Serrault, François Cluzet, Jean-François Balmer
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Michel Serrault, François Cluzet, Jean-François Balmer, Jackie Berroyer, Jean Benguigui, Thomas Chabrol
Director: Claude Chabrol
Director: Claude Chabrol
Producer: Marin Karmitz
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Reviews for The Swindle
Like The Grifters and Bound, The Swindle succeeds because, in addition to telling an engaging crime story with vivid characters, it never takes itself too seriously.
As a cinematic confection from one of the masters, it's cotton candy, evaporating before it ever gets good.
Pleases the eye without ever awakening the mind, offering a delicately told tale of intrigue and corruption without ever awakening the basic human passions which are supposedly its subject.
The ambiguous pairing of Victor (Serrault) and Betty (Huppert) is both comfortable and playful.
The Swindle might not be a deep film, but it makes no missteps in showing us the steps these two small time crooks take as they attempt to pull off a big time con.
It's a fluffy, good-natured exercise in style that succeeds just fine, but doesn't leave you wanting any more.
Illustrates the way that comedy is serious business, divulging remarkable intelligence to viewers about the human condition.
Trust no one. Suspect everyone. It will still have one more angle to unfold that you will not anticipate.
Even when it threatens to sink into the familiar mechanics of a double-dealing heist story, Chabrol keeps curiosity piqued, the actors delightful and the outcome in sufficient question.
This is a piece of fluff that dissolves like a sugar cube as you watch it.
A work of superb yet unpretentious film craftsmanship by a past master and an impeccable cast and crew.
Chabrol's plot is silly, wholly unbelievable even for light fare, and downright confounding.
It is played out with style and wit, with a pair of winning performances from the leads.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
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