"Bel Ami" Review by DIY

"Bel Ami" Review by DIY

After a sensitive and swoonworthy turn in Water for Elephants, Twilight star Robert Pattinson is an amoral, heartless lothario in this adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's 1885 novel.

The normally charismatic actor, recently picked by David Cronenberg to lead Cosmopolis, swaps seductive glances for leering grimaces as Georges Duroy, a poor ex-soldier who sleeps his way through Parisian high society. Following years of service in Algeria, the bitter Georges is invited to dinner by a former comrade, Forestier (Philip Glenister), now a journalist for a political paper. The moment Georges walks into the room, he becomes acutely aware of the effect his dashing good looks have on the VIP ladies, namely Forestier's wife Madeleine (Uma Thurman), the wife of Forestier's editor Virginie (Kristin Scott Thomas), and the coquettish - and married - Clotilde (Christina Ricci).

With the platonic help of the fiercely intelligent and ambitious Madeleine, he is invited to pen a column for the paper, working his way up in society, and ruthlessly manipulating all in his path. Pattinson's performance feels without confidence as he looks vaguely embarrassed by his behaviour, but his leading ladies carry the film. Thurman is superb as the most complex character, giving an intense and astute performance completely at odds with the campness that pervades elsewhere, Ricci is refreshing as she tackles the sexual morality of the tale, and Scott Thomas is a scream as she plays against type as the fawning wife corrupted by her schoolgirl crush.

Directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod make their film debut following success with their long-running Cheek By Jowl theatre company, and fashion a handsome, witty affair whose strengths lie in the sexual shenanigans and sumptuous costumes and production design. However, the timeless war-mongering political themes that bubble under the surface are served less well, the film has a lack of dynamism and the character developments and narrative aren't always fluid. The concept of an utterly unredeemable character such as Georges is compelling, but it's hard to see why such vivacious women are enraptured by this lank-haired, vacuous and seedy portrayal. Worth watching for Thurman's luminous performance - her best outside of Tarantino's work.

Rating: 6/10

Source => DIY