L’Ivresse du pouvoir (2006) - film review

Michel Humeau, the CEO of a large industrial group, is surprised when he is taken into police custody and charged with embezzlement of company funds.   The investigating judge assigned to the case is the formidable Jeanne Charmant-Killman, nicknamed The Piranha because of her ruthless tenacity.  In the course of her investigation, Jeanne is struck by the enormity of what she uncovers, and her own sense of power grows as she realises what is at stake.  Unfortunately, she is up against some even more powerful opponents, and they have no intention of giving in to a mere lawyer...

Despite the bold disclaimer offered at the start of the film, L’Ivresse du pouvoir is clearly a pseudo-dramatisation of the Elf Aquitaine fraud case that came to trial in a blitz of publicity in 2003 – the most notorious political-industrial scandal seen in Europe since the Second World War.    The character played by Isabelle Huppert – the cheekily named Jeanne Charmant-Killman – is closely modelled on the magistrate leading the investigation on that case, Eva Joly, even down to the fetching red gloves.  

Whilst it falls way short of the standard of Claude Chabrol’s better films, L’Ivresse du pouvoir does offer an interesting study on the corrupting nature of power and begs the question whether anyone can wield power without losing his sanity and/or his humanity.  The main problem with this film is that it is neither a suspense thriller nor a realist political drama – it falls uncomfortably between the two and is consequently very unsatisfying, even though it is technically well made and tells an interesting story, albeit with too many digressions.   Whilst there are some strong selling points – not least of which is another commendable performance from Huppert, in her seventh collaboration with Chabrol - the film’s lethargic pace, clichéd characterisation and incoherent narrative are unlikely to cause you to rush out and buy the DVD.

© James Travers 2008

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