What is Thieves by Mélanie Laurent worth on Netflix? (critical)
A delightful female heist film which gives pride of place to its irresistible quartet of actresses: Mélanie Laurent- Adèle Exarchopoulos- Isabelle Adjani- Manon Bresch
Change in continuity. By adapting very freely The Great Odalisquethe comic strip very Signed Cat’s eyes by Bastien Vivès, Florent Ruppert and Jérôme Mulot, Mélanie Laurent certainly ventures for the first time into the field of heist film and action comedy but, as since her first feature film The Adoptees and those who followed (Breathe, Dive, Galveston And The Women’s Ball), the women hold the top of the torch. Four actresses from four generations and four different statuses whose complementarity and joy of playing together shine through on the screen. As the title suggests, Thieves features two genius burglar friends (Mélanie Laurent herself and Adèle Exarchopoulos) determined to hang up and free themselves from the orders of the mafia godmother (Isabelle Adjani) to whom they are subservient by embarking on what they hope to be their final heist (a painting to be stolen from a Corsican monastery) with the help of a new accomplice (Manon Bresch), ex-racing driver.
The first minutes set the tone for what will follow. The promise of action will be kept, the physical part of this spectacular comedy will not be absent and Mélanie Laurent (who filmed under the direction of one of the masters of the spectacular, Michael Bay, in Six underground and finished finalist in the long, very long director casting process organized by Marvel to choose the director of Black widow) has a blast in this exercise, effective, rhythmic, with just the right amount of playfulness in the eyes of her heroines. Because here the action never overwhelms the rest: the exchanges between the characters, the words that fly as much as the bullets. The once again incredible slaughter of Adèle Exarchopoulos, the delicious Isabelle Adjani-Mélanie Laurent duo-duel where we seem to guess that they must have had a history together whose fire is not yet completely extinguished, the explosive energy of Manon Bresch has room to express itself at every moment, making Thieves a pure actresses’ film. A film of capital heroines who, however, never overwhelm the male characters who are certainly secondary but treated with care (played by Philippe Katherine and Félix Moati). Plural and inclusive feminine cinema which certainly suffers here and there from certain lengths or from an ending that is too abrupt but without anything damaging the pleasure taken from this pure entertainment.
By Mélanie Laurent. With Mélanie Laurent, Adèle Exarchopoulos Isabelle Adjani… Duration: 1h55. Available on Netflix
