Love Crime – IFC Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France/USA, 2010
Director: Alain Corneau
Writers: Alain Corneau, Natalie Carter
Cast: Ludivine Sagnier, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patrick Mille, Guillaume Marquet, Gérald Laroche, Julien Rochefort, Olivier Rabourdin, Marie Guillard, Mike Powers, Stéphane Roquet

Release Date: April 15th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 106 Minutes 31 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 French
Subtitles: English (Non-Removable)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $41.98

"When Christine, a powerful executive (Scott Thomas), brings on a naive young ingénue, Isabelle (Sagnier), as her assistant, she delights in toying with her naïveté and teaching her hard lessons in a ruthless professional philosophy. But when the protege’s ideas become tempting enough for Christine to pass one as her own, she underestimates Isabelle’s ambition and cunning– and the ground is set for all out war." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Love Crime comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34 GB

Feature: 29.4 GB

No information about the source is provided. That said, this transfer looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in French with non-removable English subtitles. There are some dialog exchanges in English and Japanese. The audio sounds excellent, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a video essay by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (16 minutes 15 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for French films clips), an audio commentary with film critic Travis Woods, a spot gloss, embossed, and silver foil slipcover (limited to 2,000 units), and a 12-page booklet with an essay titled Auteur-On-Auteur Violence: The Elusive Whys and Slippery Hows of Love Crime and Passion written by Katie Rife.

Summary:

Alain Corneau directed Love Crime. His other notable films are Police Python 357, Série noire, and Choice of Arms. Love Crime was adapted by Brian De Palma and retitled Passion.

A rivalry between a protégé and her boss turns deadly when one of them is publicly humiliated by the other.

What starts off as a melodrama evolves into a mystery film when one of the characters breaks mentally. The first half of the narrative establishes characters, while the latter half is an escalation of momentum that leads to a murder and builds once the killer is in custody. That said, despite the killer being apprehended, their meticulous planning leads to their release. Now free, the killer enacts the final part of their plan and frames someone else for the murder.

It is always fascinating to watch the film after you have seen its remake first. Where the remake Passion keeps the core essence of Love Crime while being tailored to suit Brian De Palma’s cinematic style, Love Crime is a more restrained affair that relies more on things that are below the surface. That said, while both films have their merits, it is evident that Love Crime is the superior film.

As great as all of the performances are, they all pale in comparison to the two leads, Ludivine Sagnier (Swimming Pool), who portrays Isabelle, a young woman who's just starting out in her profession, and Kristin Scott Thomas (Bitter Moon), who portrays Christine, Isabelle’s mentor. Both actresses are phenomenal, especially in moments that they share. Another performance of note is Guillaume Marquet, who portrays Daniel, a protégé of Isabelle. Though his character spends most of his screen time observing, by the end he holds a position of power.

Alain Corneau was never a filmmaker who relied more on style than substance, and with Love Crime he continues this trend by letting his actors be the focal point. Doppelgangers and mimicking behavior are central to the story that unfolds, and Alain Corneau's attention to detail is evident throughout. That said, the most visually arresting moments are the killing and the police investigation that follows.

Love Crime has a delicious premise that is rooted in envy and jealousy, and in the case of the latter, it is the reason behind one character's death. The well-constructed narrative does a superb job building momentum, and just when you think you know where things are going, there is one last devious twist. Ultimately, Love Crime is a compelling revenge film that serves as a fitting swan song for Alain Corneau.

Love Crime gets a first-rate release from IFC Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a trio of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer