FILM

France 2010 114 mins Subtitles Dir: Eric Lartigau Starring: Romain Duris, Marina Fois, Niels Arestrup, Catherine Deneuve, Eric Ruf

It's tempting to describe 'The Big Picture' as yet another of those great French character-driven thrillers that Hollywood will be tempted to ruin. But it's actually more complicated than that. Like 'Tell No One', to which it bears some comparison, the film is based on a novel by a US author, Douglas Kennedy apparently being more highly regarded in Europe than in America.

Increasingly impressive Romain Duris, last seen in the under-rated comedy 'Heartbreaker', plays Parisian lawyer Paul Exben. Outwardly happy and prosperous, he has a big house, a lovely wife named Sarah (director Eric Lartigau's own spouse Marina Fois) and two squealing children, whom he clearly adores. But behind the facade, his life is falling apart. His business partner Anne (Deneuve) has just revealed that she has terminal cancer, throwing him off-kilter. What's more, frosty Sarah is having an affair with hunky neighbour Gregoire (Ruf). Just to rub it in, Gregoire is a globetrotting travel photographer - the career Paul would have chosen if he'd had the courage. When Paul accidentally kills Gregoire in an altercation, he has visions of his children growing up knowing that their father was a convicted murderer. So he disposes of the body, fakes his own death and assumes Gregoire's identity, becoming more-than-usually stubbly and nervy as he hides out in rural Montenegro. Inevitably, living his dream proves to have unexpected consequences.

A few lumpy plot points aside (Paul's border-crossing corpse disposal and identity change antics seem remarkably hassle free), this deliciously Ripley-esque yarn is anchored by a terrific performance from Duris and benefits from a pleasingly amoral ending that Hollywood would never allow. (Robin Askew) 

website www.lhommequivoulaitvivresavie-lefilm.com/

Opens: July 22

Copyright Robin Askew 2011