La Mécanique de l'ombre (2017)
Directed by Thomas Kruithof

Film Review

For his debut feature, director Thomas Kruithof takes his inspiration from a bevy of classic conspiracy thrillers of the 1970s - Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974) springs readily to mind - and manages to deliver a minimalist espionage piece that feels at least thirty years behind the times.  Dated and unconvincing as the subject matter is, Kruithof directs the film with considerable flair and leaves us in no doubt that he is a name to watch out for.  The confined setting (most of the 'action' takes place in a single sparsely furnished apartment) and glacial photography create a mood of stifling oppression so that, whilst it has all the hallmarks of a traditional spy thriller, La Mécanique de l'ombre also feels like a Kafkaesque fantasy of the grimmest and most sinister kind.

François Cluzet and Denis Poladydès are both excellent in the lead roles, the former up to the mark as his usual sympathetic everyman self, the latter surprisingly menacing as a shady manipulator equipped with all of the traits of a John le Carré spymaster.  With some strong support from Sami Bouajila and Simon Abkarian the film definitely doesn't disappoint on the acting front.  The only let-down is a script that is as derivative as it is unconvincing.  Loosely inspired by real-life incidents that have taken place in France over the past three decades, including the Libyan hostage crises of the 1980s, the plot harks back to a bygone era and leads you to wonder why its authors didn't set it in a past decade.  A romantic subplot provides a welcome diversion from the main narrative strand (helping to humanise the central character and bring some light to counterpoint the darkness) but it is underdeveloped and this merely helps the whole film to come unravelled in its second half.  Some hard-to-believe plot developments weaken the film's credibility even further and then it is all wrapped up far too tidily - by this stage it is evident that the writers' imagination has completely deserted them.

La Mécanique de l'ombre is by no means a complete misfire.  Kruithof makes his limited resources go a very long way, his assured direction delivering as much claustrophobia and menace as the story can support.  Up until about the mid-point, the film has little difficulty holding our attention, even though the dialogue is sparse and action sparser still.  The problem is that the film is so redolent of past thrillers that it struggles to acquire its own identity.  It is effectively a pastiche, albeit quite a good one.  An outstanding performance from Poladydès and some inspired directorial touches from Kruithof make the film well worth watching, even though the sense of déjà-vu is pretty overwhelming.

Film Synopsis

It has been two years since Duval lost his job.  Recovering from a mental breakdown, he hasn't been able to find work since and he struggles to make ends meet.  This is why he is so willing to accept a curious job offered to him by a complete stranger named Clément - to transcribe tapped telephone conversations.  Duval needs the money too badly to ask questions, so he diligently sets about his mundane task, grateful for the opportunity to get back into work.  Over time, Duval begins to become uneasy about what he is doing and starts to wonder who exactly he is working for.  Before he knows it, he is caught up in a mysterious political intrigue that may have far-reaching consequences...