Comedy of Power (2006, Claude Chabrol)

Not so much a suspense movie as a study in behavior, with judge Isabelle Huppert pitting herself against the patriarchal forces at the center of French society. Most of the points this has to make are made early and often- a woman has to be more ruthless than the men around her to survive, et al- and compared to something like, say, DEMONLOVER it's pretty quaint. Still, Huppert never fails to fascinate. I was a little taken aback by her character's voice at the outset- deeper and throatier than Huppert's normal speaking voice- but when she eased off of it in the scenes at home it became clear that it was just part of the character's mystique. Chabrol may never make another masterpiece, but I'm glad he's still around to make movies like this. He can practically do them in his sleep, but when they're better than most directors' A games it seems churlish to complain. Rating: 6 out of 10.