Rating of
3/4
"L' Appartment" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 01/20/13
A successful executive overhears a phone conversation hinting at adultery and murder, and convinced that his ex-lover is involved, attempts to track her down to discover the truth about her sudden disappearance from his life. Echoing the likes of Suspicion and Vertigo, L' Appartement is very Hitchcockian in flavour, adding some very French sensuality and emotional turmoil to the mix. The story relies on the misdirection of both the protagonist and the audience by planting seeds of doubt that, once the truth is cleverly revealed by exposing the other side of the story from the point of view of another character, show that all of the previous events have been completely misinterpreted (unless you are VERY clever!). A young Vincent Cassel makes for a believable central character, constantly wrong-footed and perplexed at these events that seem to be manipulated by some unknown force and its very easy to understand his adoration for a Monica Belucci who has never been more beautiful or appealing. In this day and age where twists are ten a penny, L' Appartement's offbeat approach succeeds in keeping you guessing right until the end and nicely blends intrigue and romance in a way that I suspect would appeal to both genders equally.
