blanche-2 Sadly, this was to be Alain Corneau's last film, as he died a week after this premiered.Ludivine Sagnier and Kristin Scott-Thomas star as Isabelle and Christine, who both work for a conglomerate with offices all over the world. Christine (Scott-Thomas) is Isabelle's boss and seems very fond of her. Isabelle does amazing work, which Christine takes credit for. Isabelle seems okay with that, even when her coworker, Daniel (Guillaume Marquet) points it out.Isabelle and Christine are both involved with the same co-worker, Philippe (Patrick Mille). Christine, being hard-boiled, has information on Philippe concerning a shortage in some of his accounts. At Daniel's urging, Isabelle gives a report to the American firm interested in working with them, and they are very impressed, particularly when she says that it's hers and she takes full responsibility for it. The firm had initially offered Christine a lucrative job in New York and she had purchased an apartment; now they tell her that it was premature to offer it to her and they will discuss it later.Christine confronts Isabelle and accuses her of trying to make her look bad, usurping her authority, etc., etc. Later she uses what she has on Philippe to have him make a date with Isabelle and then break it. When Isabelle calls Philippe, Christine answers and basically declares war on Isabelle. She then humiliates Isabelle at a party.It goes from there.The French for some reason do this kind of film very well, and Love Crime is no exception. The men are secondary to the two competitive women with their own agendas. The environment of the office is sterile and ultramodernKristin Scott-Thomas is excellent as the cold Christine, a smile barely covering a truly nasty personality. When she asks how Isabelle's hair would look down before a meeting, Isabelle shows her - and Christine says, keep it up. That's because with her hair down, you can see what a dazzling young beauty Isabelle is, and Christine has to keep her in her place.Sagnier, with her wide-eyed, innocent face, is perfect as a sweet woman who realizes she's in a jungle and needs to fight to survive.Very good if predictable film once you see where it's going.

Lucy Bonette I found the plot a bit unrealistic. The main character does extreme things, but the reason for acting that way does not match what actually happened to her, unless you are crazy. The acting in the office environment was not the best either, talking about reports and files in a non-realistic way. However, although you can see what is going to happen early on, I found that I wanted to stick to the end to see how it all works out. There is a little bit of a twist at the very end as well, but because of many close-ups leading up to that, you sort of could see that coming too. The end is unsettling in a way, but I guess in the end the main character pays for her deeds as well. In the end the truth will come out. All in all, I thought it was engaging till the end. And that is also something to look for in a film.

Claudio Carvalho 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")

lilibartley I see this film is getting quite mixed reviews. I personally thought it was a very well thought out, perfectly executed thriller. The film moves quickly, you are very quickly aware of the dynamics between characters. The women are beautiful but without being overdone, a rarity. Great fashion. It was also nice to see a view of Paris like this. Corporate, cold. Without giving away too much of the plot, you really feel the tug of war of the central character, Isabelle. However you are never really sure who to trust in this film and it plays out beautifully in the last scenes. I found the quality of acting across the board, superb. I really liked the unsung hero of the film, Isabelle's work colleague. Loved him. Definitely a go see in my opinion!