If Rubik Wrote a Thriller...

Guillaume Canet writes, directs and appears in 'Tell No One' from Harlan Coben's novel, a dizzyingly complex thriller that will keep you guessing right to the end. There is a big cast of characters to keep track of, to the point that confusion will definitely creep in if you are not concentrating, but Canet's excellent film deserves your full attention. François Cluzet is highly watchable as the pawn at the centre of the mind-boggling machinations that spiral around him (French crime drama pun intended), and there is an excellent array of Gallic thesps all in good form. Worthy of particular note are Marie-Josée Croze very engaging as Cluzet's screen wife; André Dussollier as his terminally grumpy father-in-law; Kristin Scott Thomas his sister; a beautifully laconic François Berléand as the dogged cop; and the wonderful Gilles Lellouche with a convincing gangster turn. The film's plot is every bit as labyrinthine as LA Confidential or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - if crime thrillers are your bag, this is an excellent example.

Can't Touch This

Intouchables is a delightful and surprising drama starring the ever excellent Francois Cluzet and the conquering presence that is Omar Sy. Unlike so many difficult-to-watch and hard-to-love dramas dealing with the subject of physical disability, ‘Untouchable’ handles the central theme with a belligerent acceptance that is far more relatable than the worthy wringing of hands that is often the adopted technique. The direction of the film’s writers Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano is assured, with hardly a missed step, and they explore many interesting and novel ways to cast light on the protagonist Cluzet's difficult situation. Sy is a revelation, a fireball of energy and charm, and both are impossible not to root for straight from the gripping opening sequence. For those who think they don't like 'foreign' films, this would be the perfect introduction.

Grey Days

Guillaume Canet (the French guy in The Beach, but with many other acting and directing credits) writes and directs an excellent cast in a languid tale that wonders through the lives and relationships of a group of friends holidaying in the beautiful surroundings of Cap Ferret. The mix of characters and temperaments is played nicely by an engaging collection of thesps Francaise   including Marion Cotillard, Francois Cluzet, Gilles Lellouche and Jean Dujardin, and Canet gives the main characters plenty to do, with various parallel story threads pulling them together, these threads mingle to coax the film forward, but at a pace consistent with that feeling of being on holiday when nothing has quite the same imperative as it does in the world of work. Canet guides proceedings ably toward the denouements of the various strands with a gentle touch, and there is a nice variation in tone throughout, with moments of real passion, drama, comedy and conflict, perhaps tending to melodrama in places, but without tipping over into multiple Kleenex territory. Events are brought together effectively in the third act, and Canet and his cast deliver an emotional conclusion that is highly satisfying, and you might need that hankie at the end after all.