Rien ne va plus

Betty (Isabelle Huppert), a woman in her thirties, and Victor (Michel Serrault), a sexagenarian, form an unlikely couple of con-artists, who travel around the country scamming unsuspecting victims out of money. However, Betty has been secretly preparing a big score; for a year she has been the mistress of Maurice (François Cluzet), a money launderer for the mafia, who is set to transport half a billion Swiss francs to the Caribbean. Unfortunately, secrets are hard to keep and as the pair become entangled in a web of deceit, they are severely made to realise that with higher rewards come higher repercussions.

Claude Chabrol’s award-winning fiftieth feature illustrates the veteran director having fun. Rien ne va plus sees two leading lights of French cinema, one a legend (Serrault) and the other destined to become one if not already deemed so (Huppert), in an international game of cat and mouse. The plot twists and turns like a classic Hitchcock or David Mamet piece, as Chabrol keeps the audience in wonder as to which character is a step ahead of the other. Add to this the glamorous locations, in particular that of the Swiss Alps, which Chabrol is quick to exploit through Eduardo Serra’s pristine photography, and you have an accomplished, entertaining movie from a director who at once exhibits his cinematic experience and desire to continue thrilling audiences for years to come yet. 57 films and counting...