COMEDY OF POWER

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Loosely based on the corporate scandal surrounding Elf Aqutiane (now "TotalFinaElf"), director Claude Chabrol casts longtime collaborator Isabelle Hubert as a take-no-prisoners judge obsessed with putting greedy rich thieving executives behind bars.

At its best the movie savors Hubert interviewing her subjects to the breaking point with subtle strategies that demand all of her focus in spite of attempts on her life.

However, the movie slips into an unsatisfying third act that eschews crucial scenes that are only alluded to, before ending with an anticlimax that neutralizes Hubert’s beguiling effect.

In the end, Chabrol’s style overwhelms the substance of a script with a flat line of a dramatic arc.

Not Rated. 110 mins.