As films about con artists go, this movie by Claude Chabrol is among the most interesting because it puts two minor leaguers (Isabelle Huppert and Michel Barrault) into a situation where they are plainly in the big leagues and over their heads. Huppert and the much older Barrault specialize in bilking not-quite-bright convention goers of relatively small amounts. The questionable element of their approach is that Barrault never takes the whole amount available. He leaves enough behind so the victim might not notice. That's an extremely doubtful assumption. However, when the con turns on five million Swiss francs and Barrault leaves 2.8 million behind, that's apparently enough to persuade the vicious men behind the transfer of funds that Huppert and Barrault should be allowed to live. Since their captors have already put a spike through the eye and into the brain of the guy who was planning to make off with the whole five million, it seems highly unlikely that they would give the minor league team a get-out-of-a-jam-free card. But that's the story, elevated by nicely manipulated suspense and excellent performances by Huppert and Barrault. The relationship between the two stars is mysterious and left uncertain. She calls him "Papa," but he is clearly not her father. If, as seems likely, they have been lovers as well as partners, Barrault seems curiously unaffected when Huppert takes time off to have an adventure, which includes setting up an intense love affair with the man intending to steal the five million. As a sucker for these kinds of films, I enjoyed it quite a bit despite the improbabilities. After all, "The Sting" wasn't quite likely either.
Review of The Swindle
