This is Chabrol's take on the caper movie with Mamet-type twists and if you don't expect the earth to move it's pleasantly enjoyable. This is an Isabelle Huppert who is almost wholesome - fully wholesome when compared to the sleaze for which she seems to have a penchant - which means she's so good to look at that any acting she throws in - and that's plenty - is a bonus. She and Michel Serrault have a wonderful rapport and it's clear they enjoyed working together but Francois Cluzet is able to hold his own against the formidable duo for the middle third of the movie in which he appears. As someone has already pointed out this is primarily a fun movie and isn't trying to be profound or pretentious, just put a smile on your face from reel #1 and keep it there more or less throughout with the possible exception of a couple of minutes when Huppert discovers Cluzet wearing an arrow where it will do the most good. This is one that will probably stand a subsequent viewing after several years.
Review of The Swindle
