"Innocents With Dirty Hands" could perhaps be described as Claude Chabrol's variation on the classic French thriller "Diabolique". It's not a perfect movie: it's long and talky; the plot has some extreme "conveniences"; the final shot is a bit of a WTH. But it's a refreshingly adult, constantly twisty, sometimes creepy, morally complex thriller that challenges its viewers by giving them characters (the central love triangle, the two cops, the financial adviser) who are not easy to like, and who through the process of the movie reveal that they are not who they first appear to be. The one likely audience-pleasing character is the quick-thinking lawyer Albert Legal; Jean Rochefort gives a flamboyant performance and nearly steals the show in about 10 minutes of screen time. At first you may fear that Rod Steiger will feel out of place in a French film, but somehow he fits right in. And between Romy Schneider, the St.Tropez locations, and the big beautiful house with a view where most of the action takes place, your eyes will usually have something to get fixed on. Beware of a harrowing physical attack scene near the end, though. **1/2 out of 4.
Review of Dirty Hands
