A stunning display of naked self-obsession from a character who had thus-far been presented as a put-upon victim ensures that Lucas Belvaux's Grenoble trilogy ends on a triumphant note.
The plot is driven by cop Gilbert Melki's pursuit of Belvaux's vengeful terrorist, whose prime target is the mobster who supplies Melki with the morphine that enables his teacher wife Dominique Blanc to endure her endlessly disappointing existence. But the dramatic impetus comes from Blanc's disarming mood swings, from coy effacement to calculating exploitation.
Belvaux's screenplay ties loose ends and shifts perspective on previously witnessed events with great finesse. But while his ambition and vision are to be applauded, it's the exemplary cast that enable him to carry the conceit with such conviction.