Love Crime (Crime D’amour)

Directed by Alain Corneau

Screenplay by Alain Corneau and Nathalie Carter

France, 2010

When two people match wits and try to outmaneuver one-another in a bit of ill-intended one-upmanship, it’s often referred to as ‘cat and mouse.’ Love Crime, the odd film that is both unexpectedly (and perhaps unintentionally) hilarious and frightening at the same time, is rather a game of ‘cat and cat.’

The first cat is Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas). Tall, elegant, and with an ambitious killer instinct, Christine ruthlessly heads a global company at the expense of anyone in her path. Cat number two is Isabelle Guérin (Ludivine Sagnier). Christine’s right-hand-woman, Isabelle, is tightly wound (“Let your hair down,” Christine tells her), dedicated to Christine, and whip-smart.

Falling between them is Philippe (Patrick Mille), whose company holds accounts with Christine’s. Both women sleep with Philippe within the first fifteen minutes of Love Crime and,...