Set alongside Jacques Audiard's previous directorial outings, See How They Fall and A Self-Made Hero, this is something of a disappointment. But taken on its own terms, it's a slickly staged thriller, in which Audiard manipulates the audience in much the same way that deaf secretary Emmanuelle Devos exploits Vincent Cassel, the parolee given a fresh start at her estate agency.
Had the focus remained on the power play between the two, this might have made for an intriguing psychological study. But, instead, it hurtles down a more obvious avenue and combines sleight-of-hand scams and designer violence in much the same manner as the Nicole Kidman vehicle, Birthday Girl, which also co-stars Cassel. He's fine, but Devos is superb as the outsider driven by a sinister sense of self-worth.