Rien ne va plus (The Swindle) (1997)

68% of critics liked it
(25 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(349 ratings)

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. Up to now, the duo of Betty (Isabelle Huppert) and Victor (Michel Serrault) have contented themselves to small scams at hotel conventions, such as… More 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. Up to now, the duo of Betty (Isabelle Huppert) and Victor (Michel Serrault) have contented themselves to small scams at hotel conventions, such as spiking the drink of a gambler, then rolling him for his winnings after he follows the flirtatious Betty back to his room and passes out. It then develops that, for the past year, without telling Victor, Betty has been plotting an enormous score involving Maurice (François Cluzet), the treasurer of an international corporation, who's planning to abscond with a briefcase containing five million Swiss francs in syndicate money. Betty's plan is for Victor to swap an identical briefcase with Maurice's and walk away with the jackpot, but Victor becomes suspicious of Betty's solo venture. Is his once-loyal partner betraying him? What about Maurice, who's no fool, and his gangster bosses, who will surely want their money returned? A dizzying array of potential double-crosses muddles the question of who's grifting who in the Betty-Victor-Maurice triangle. Rien Ne Va Plus (1997) screened at several film festivals under the English-language title The Swindle. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Claude Chabrol
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 24, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Aug 29, 2006

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
A work of superb yet unpretentious film craftsmanship by a past master and an impeccable cast and crew.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Even when it threatens to sink into the familiar mechanics of a double-dealing heist story, Chabrol keeps curiosity piqued, the actors delightful and the outcome in sufficient question.
Amy Taubin, Village Voice
A failed attempt at frivolity.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Like The Grifters and Bound, The Swindle succeeds because, in addition to telling an engaging crime story with vivid characters, it never takes itself too seriously.
Paul Tatara, CNN.com
This is a piece of fluff that dissolves like a sugar cube as you watch it.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Chabrol's 50th film, made with the practiced ease of a master.
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
As a cinematic confection from one of the masters, it's cotton candy, evaporating before it ever gets good.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
unfunny and unthrilling
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
The Swindle might not be a deep film, but it makes no missteps in showing us the steps these two small time crooks take as they attempt to pull off a big time con.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Você pode até não rir durante a projeção, mas sairá do cinema com um sorriso de lado, admirado com a esperteza - e falta de escrúpulos - daquele casal tão simpático.
William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
It's another wickedly humorous psychological thriller that provides a showy part for [Chabrol's] favorite star, Isabelle Huppert.
, E! Online
While the film's leisurely pace makes some of the more dramatic scenes seem a little flat, the talented cast ultimately overcomes the film's shortcomings.
Cynthia Fuchs, Philadelphia City Paper
Pleases the eye without ever awakening the mind, offering a delicately told tale of intrigue and corruption without ever awakening the basic human passions which are supposedly its subject.
Trevor Lewis, Empire Magazine
A hit and miss bag of cosmopolitan wit.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
Illustrates the way that comedy is serious business, divulging remarkable intelligence to viewers about the human condition.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Pierluigi P

Light, sympathetic mildly twisted, cynic and amusing film from the french master of intrigue Claude Chabrol.
Emily B

One of the better Chabrol thrillers of the 80s/90s thanks to it's sly humour and performance by Isabelle Huppert.