Rien ne va plus (1997)

Rien ne va plus is a French comedy thriller film first released in 1997, directed by Claude Chabrol.  The film stars Isabelle Huppert, Michel Serrault, François Cluzet, Jean-François Balmer and Jackie Berroyer.  It has also been released under the title: The Swindle.  Our overall rating for this film is: mediocre.


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.

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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