The Swindle

The 50th film from legendary French New Wave writer and director Claude Chabrol is a typically Hitchcockian comic thriller about a pair of con artists embroiled in a dizzying array of double-crosses. Up until now, Betty (Isabelle Huppert) and Victor (Michel Serrault) have contented themselves with scamming small fry hotel conventions. The ever flirtatious Betty however has bigger plans. One in particular involves a briefcase containing five million Swiss francs of syndicate money. Before long Victor becomes suspicious of Betty's solo pursuits. Is his once-loyal partner betraying him? And what of Maurice, the owner of the briefcase, and his gangster bosses? Chabrol directs this sleek, shadowy caper with wit and masterful restraint.