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Elle

Elle

2016
Drama
Suspense/Thriller
2h 10m
Michèle seems indestructible. Head of a successful video game company, she brings the same ruthless attitude to her love life as to business. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michèle's life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game-a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control. (imdb)
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Elle

2016
Drama
Suspense/Thriller
2h 10m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 59.86% from 1332 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1332)
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Rated 10 Oct 2017
54
59th
Verhoeven pays homage to le French cinema in the only way he knows how--with sex, violence, sexual violence, and some violent sex...and then he tosses in some implied girl-on-girl action to make it all feel authentic. Not enough three-breasted Martians, vagina-face brain bugs, or buying that for a dollar for my bottom-feeder tastes, but I can appreciate it and Isabelle Huppert's amazing performance for what they are.
Rated 30 Dec 2016
4
55th
verhoeven butts his pulp tendencies up against the european arthouse, draws heavily from bunuel and renoir, and once again makes a film that pisses on the hypocrisy and perversity of convention. declining most specifically to be a Movie About Rape, ELLE is simply about an extraordinary woman--played by huppert in a near decade-conquering storm of a performance--who drags the film wherever the hell she likes, fuck you and the narratives you attempt to impose upon her (even PV sorta stands aside).
Rated 12 Oct 2016
5
2nd
What an absolute train wreck. Verhoeven plays with his characters like a child would with plastic action figures, he just kind of randomly rams them into each other in a rough emulation of grownup intimacy and conflict, without any real sense of how people actually are, or any semblance of humor about the absurdity he creates. Worse than fucking "Robocop".
Rated 07 Nov 2020
79
78th
An incredibly captivating story. Isabelle Huppert in her early 60's is intensely attractive in this. The story is very dark, exquisitely twisted, and deeply rooted in the uniquely French sex culture. There are few wasted moments. The uncomfortable scenes were skillfully navigated with subtle expertise. Except for the brutality, I was entirely enchanted with the story and characters. Overall it is highly worthwhile, and I enjoyed it very much, despite it being in French with English subtitles.
Rated 23 Nov 2016
85
92nd
Verhoeven pulls the carpet and enjoys freedom he never had. His most unlikable character simply can't mantain a balanced relationship with anyone in life -- a sociopath that goes from being polite to hostile or seductive. Divorced from her husband for violence, but magnetized by her rapist; mirrors herself in her son by making him kill the rapist -- in the past she had to help her father to burn things after he killed people. A rare film that dares to walk the line between repulse and desire.
Rated 15 Oct 2016
40
17th
Started off well enough, and Huppert puts in a fine performance, but the screenplay turns out to be absurd, the characters don't seem real, and there's a pall of misogyny hanging over the whole affair that I found disconcerting. This is a classic case of mutton dressed as lamb.
Rated 17 Jan 2017
80
75th
Haha, what the hell was that? I didn't even realize this was Verhoeven going into it until his name flashed across the screen during the titles. I became titillated. Then the film starts with a violent rape scene, and my titillation became horror. This film never really lets you breathe, as it switches from erotic to horror to black comedy seamlessly. I think Verhoeven is one of the most misunderstood directors of all-time, and is probably due for a critical reevaluation.
Rated 22 Mar 2020
65
71st
A boss goes through all the shit it is necessary to endure and to undertake in order to reach those foreign shores that offer a modicum of freedom. The precise location of those shores, as depicted in this film, is something of a cliché, conforming to the trendiest prejudices, solving real problems in an all too easy way. But the journey to find them is still quite an entertaining one for the viewer, largely because the star seems to relish the opportunity to play an adult character with balls.
Rated 13 Nov 2016
90
85th
First of all, can we give a round of applause for Isabelle Huppert? I mean honestly, I am sure that this movie could have been decent with another actress, but Huppert's incredibly nuanced performance deconstructs tons or archetypes. This film could have been many things, but it's truly a story regarding one's agency, layers of dominance or submission, and CONSENT (perhaps most importantly). The film tackles all of these issues by brilliantly straddling comedy, thrills, and a great ensemble.
Rated 30 Dec 2016
80
79th
More utopian & revolutionary than something sticking to reality and its criticism. All women are incredibly strong & dominant vis-a-vis very weak and stupid men, manipulating the world around them as they wish. Huppert transforms her trauma into a point of resistance and takes control of her life, both sexually and professionally. Film's structure is a voyage from rape & father's law to Huppert's reconnection with her lesbian love in a cemetery where "dead men" lie. Very playful & daring film.
Rated 23 Nov 2016
78
67th
Making the erotic thriller feel fresh again, Elle's greatest strengths come from its contradictions and hidden meanings, its severely flawed characters, and its questions posed to the viewer that force one to confront the true nature of power dynamics through sex. Is this a feminist film? Absolutely. Is it one that will anger many as it toes the line between exploitation and erotica? Certainly. Is it required viewing in 2016 during a time of populism in the face of gender norms? I would say so.
Rated 14 Jan 2019
83
82nd
Verhoeven films in France and this becomes "art house." No, this is Verhoeven through and through. Huppert delivers one of the best performances this decade and gives the viewer a conundrum: laugh, weep, or cringe.
Rated 29 Jan 2017
82
76th
Huppert is fantastic as one of the most complex characters seen on screen in a while. The rest of the movie is decent, but not on her level.
Rated 05 Nov 2016
71
50th
Verhoeven touches on a tone similar to the one struck in Funny Games, in that we have a depiction of truly horrible occurrences without cheap over-reactions, or in other words a more believable performance. Which allows for the harbouring of real, but twisted psychological empathy on behalf of the audience. An empathy that is fully exploited in the final 40 minutes as the film starts to play with the concepts established in the long/detailed setup prior. Also, is the red herring an inside joke?
Rated 29 Oct 2016
69
47th
Verhoeven goes French and teaches Fifty Shades of Blah what fucked up really means. Huppert is amazing as always and made the audience feel uncomfortable as hell. I went home with a bad feeling in my guts and the conclusion that cats make horrible pets.
Rated 24 Jul 2017
86
88th
OK, I will be the first to admit I have no idea what this taut, gripping film is really about despite it mesmerizing me from start to finish. Huppert delivers a fantastically powerful performance (vital to both narrative and overall success of the film) but the story is there to interpret. I have tried to give a one line synopsis and failed miserably. Its deciding whether to be a victim, consent and acceptance, and what actually matters in life. One thing is for certain, you wont forget it !
Rated 12 Jan 2017
65
83rd
Great to see Verhoeven back, although I liked his previous "Black Book" even better. Quite unique and unlike any other films today. Hollywood would never touch a complex, perverse and disturbing story like this, and it's surprising how much praise it has received. Much of that has been directed at Huppert who gives a very bold performance. The game aspect had some plausibility issues and the film felt a bit unfocused at times, and could have ended at multiple points, but those are small issues.
Rated 18 Jan 2019
86
83rd
Wonderfully works around what we learned to see as "normal" and conventional. Just to let all the stereotypes and archetypes implode in front of our eyes, while we are too busy enjoying Huppert always hovering above us and the world. The classical drama music, the storm scene, girlfriends finding together, the decision making (sure, let's go into the basement), the lack of politeness or codes, nobody is really sad or happy in this movie ... everything is an assault on our cinema convictions.
Rated 21 Feb 2017
76
93rd
absurdly, caricaturishly comical; horrifying at the same time. yet all the people discussing Verhoeven. shouldn't we instead discuss about the author? this is an adaptation after all... isn't the text in the foreground than the decisions of director? (which was perfect for me though)
Rated 07 Jun 2017
88
85th
A video game developer (Isabelle Huppert) is raped in her home by a masked assailant, and sets out to find him and get her revenge...but how she does this is unpredictable, to say the least. Perhaps the best film of the year, cunningly directed by Verhoeven, intelligently acted by Huppert, and brilliantly written by David Birke as a treatise on autonomy. Highest recommendation.
Rated 10 Dec 2017
55
39th
Taglines: "Thrilling, exciting and original." "Electrifying... Utterly Gripping!" Nah, not really.
Rated 15 Jan 2017
74
71st
Well-acted and well-made. Still not sure if I liked it, but the movie sticks with you like few others.
Rated 26 Feb 2018
65
81st
I would have loved to make it an 80 as «The 4th man» was but the experience with that one it is not that great. I was expecting that plot twist from the beginning but at the end, there is not almost plot twist or Psychological Thriller, by the way. As the rest of the world, I enjoyed Huppert performance, that is for sure, and if it not your case "screw you!".
Rated 01 Jan 2018
81
78th
The twisted psychology traits of nearly all of the characters, and the suspenseful unveiling of the plot succeeds in keeping up interest. It's intensity falls during the last half an hour and there maybe too many details to the story, but a fairly refined yet typical Verhoeven film.
Rated 17 Feb 2018
82
83rd
Wow, still kind of shocked by this film. The story was so dark and well-told, and Isabelle Huppert was amazing. I might not understand her character's motivations all the time... but I don't think I'd want to.
Rated 15 Jan 2017
55
26th
Piling perversion upon dysfunction does not make a movie. Probably would have been unwatchable without Huppert.
Rated 23 Dec 2016
7
61st
IsabELLEs the name of the game. Far fetched to say the least, but it's engaging and she keeps you there. Somewhat elegant, elusive in that artsy french way. Uncertain, playful and yet, dead 'serious'. And not all there. I see more Verhoeven The Grand Winkless Satirist allegations coming this way.
Rated 19 Jun 2016
2
59th
Elle plays out like a smart soap opera for adults. In French, that is, meaning the style and the narrative feel kind of 'special' compared to an American counterpart. French cinema just ís different. The film is laden with black humour, sadomasochism, adultery and then some. You'd say right up Verhoeven his alley, yet Elle doesn't necessesarily feel like a Verhoeven film. It's simply all a little too impersonal, not enough 'glue' to hold the story together. The acting isn't great either. Shame.
Rated 05 Jan 2017
70
47th
"Patrick was a good man but he had a tortured soul"
Rated 29 Jan 2017
75
69th
film üzerine en azından en öne çıkan yönü adına söyleyecek yeni bir şey yok: huppert filmi resmen taşıyor. ve tabii o açılış sekansı! bunun ötesinde bir şekilde kendisine *musallat* olan erkeklerle ilişkilerini yönlendirebilen bir kadın karakteri böylesi izlemek mühim, fakat filmin asıl yaptığı kafa karıştırmak olduğu için etki yönü yüksek. üzerinde durulası, çok sık olmamakla beraber bir zaman sonra tekrar dönülesi bu sebeple...
Rated 02 Oct 2017
80
83rd
A bad ass Verhoeven film with a bad ass lead actress. Unsettling and twisted.
Rated 11 Oct 2016
90
92nd
Everything you liked about "old Verhoeven" is present, but "new Verhoeven" adds some subtlety and elegance to this dark, twisted and funny drama.
Rated 15 Nov 2016
73
80th
You have to first accept the film on its own pulpy terms to reasonably indulge in the psychology of Huppert's twisted woman. There is that picture of her as a ten-year old in the aftermath of the crimes of her father - a cold stare that she carried inside ever since, and the events of this story are the release from it.
Rated 03 Jan 2017
7
81st
Director Paul Verhoeven, that eternal Dutch wild child (even though he's 78), delivers a perverse kick whether his films are terrific (Spetters, Robocop, Black Book) or just terrific trash (Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers). His new surprise package, Elle, is a dark comedy about ... rape. Like I said, the dude is a button pusher.
Rated 06 Mar 2017
82
93rd
The sobriety with which the story is told like it's all very ordinary is perhaps the most disturbing thing about this movie. :D
Rated 25 Dec 2017
7
71st
So, this is pretty much a mash-up of Margaret and I Spit on Your Grave filtered through 70s Bunuel, right? A-oh-fuckin'-kay with me. It rules.
Rated 05 Mar 2017
68
63rd
Phwooooar. It's graphic, twisted and it's full to the brim with characters, ideas and emotions (a bit too much to be frank) but Michèle is such a complex character and the film is so unpredictable that you're just transfixed. Massively open to interpretation.
Rated 02 Apr 2017
92
91st
Amazing performance from Isabelle Huppert. This entire movie is a hell of an experience from start to finish though. Sexually charged examination of the psyche, relationships and the dark corners of the mind where people give into the basest desires.
Rated 25 Dec 2016
75
81st
Verhoeven, in earlier films such as Robocop or Showbiz, went with a bland of naturalism that could be contrasted with a commercialized component within the identity. And ultimately both sharing a drive that is hidden from what is shown. Here, it is the world of the video game and the world of carreer, and as with Showbiz something dark is going on.
Rated 04 Jan 2017
67
31st
Cold and impersonal thriller feels like an awkward mix of early Almodovar and DAYS OF OUR LIVES; Verhoeven unwisely seems to want to tone down his usually visceral and exciting directorial style in favour of a more 'respectable' tone; while staging of the violent scenes yields a few satisfying jump scares, the tension falters when it switches to the more mundane moments. Huppert gives a fine performance, if a little too calculated and polished...
Rated 12 Jan 2017
70
96th
So good to see a lady take it like a man and refuses to be a victim.
Rated 05 Feb 2017
90
95th
It's French. By Paul Verhoeven. So you can expect some bat-shit crazy entertainment.
Rated 29 Jan 2020
80
86th
This movie is very french and extremely Paul Verhoeven!
Rated 01 Jul 2020
25
9th
People give higher ratings to films in a language they don't understand: Exhibit 2394588
Rated 17 Sep 2017
71
64th
The most low-key no-chill thing ever. Conflicted feelings about this one. Staggers drunkenly between dark comedy into dark and disturbing, and though creating multidimensional characters that all have flaws is neat in concept, almost everyone except maybe Elle's bestie have cartoonishly unacceptable flaws. Huppert is excellent and the film was definitely a spectacle. The jumpscare around halfway through got me good; I hadn't yelped like that in a while!
Rated 04 Sep 2020
25
4th
This was incredibly well acted and the characters were interesting but holy shit this probably should not have been written by a man. I was infuriated by the direction this ended up going.
Rated 12 Nov 2017
85
66th
Fortunately, I have not turned it off after the first half an hour or so. It actually turns out to be a very decent and unusual mix of thriller and drama.
Rated 28 Dec 2022
77
77th
Does anyone know how long Demon Rape Simulator will be still be in development?
Rated 06 Aug 2021
75
59th
7???????2021.5.23?/"????????????????????????" ??????????????????????/???????????????????????????????…
Rated 03 Feb 2021
3
72nd
Verhoeven is an underappreciated director. He really has a knack for creating unambigious, gray moral areas. (Huppert is dazzling as always)
Rated 24 Sep 2023
83
79th
2023'de #IzlediğimFilmler ; 147. Elle (2016) Bu filmi neden bu kadar bekletmişim ki. Nefis bir gerilim. Isabelle Huppert büyülüyor. Paul Verhoeven'i pamuklara sarmalıyız. 8/10
Rated 17 Nov 2017
60
57th
Predictable and forgettable other than Isabelle Huppert. She is excellent. It was refreshing to watch her kind of character on screen.
Rated 15 May 2017
9
29th
I got too bored to finish and accurately rate it; but it did seem promising enough to probably live up to the hype, so I didn't knock down the PSI much for the slow pace.
Rated 02 Feb 2019
83
89th
Head canon: holy hunter's life after 'crash'
Rated 04 Aug 2020
70
59th
The most powerful woman character I've watched on white screen.
Rated 22 Jun 2020
35
12th
Risque, odd, perverse, and yet somehow completely unengaging for long stretches.
Rated 29 May 2018
82
60th
81.50+.50 = 82.00.
Rated 25 Jul 2018
20
4th
Too liberal and far-fetched.
Rated 31 Jul 2019
10
13th
gereksiz
Rated 19 Feb 2024
15
3rd
An extraordinarily mediocre film that I didn't enjoy at all. It's difficult to tell if Verhoeven has recently aspired to a grander, more respectable legacy than the likes of RoboCop or Starship Troopers could afford on their own. I didn't see more than 20 minutes of Black Book, but this amounts to nothing more than pretentious exploitation cinema. 'Artsploitation' if you like, and even more of a failure than Noe's 'Love'. Huppert is better than this.
Rated 01 Feb 2017
80
81st
watched: 2017, 2023
Rated 03 Oct 2017
9
80th
Verhoeven fucking owns.
Rated 01 Oct 2016
83
73rd
Tem como não amar as mulheres do Verhoeven?
Rated 09 Jan 2017
70
36th
All I could remember is Isabelle Huppert. It's so pity that she couldn't get the Oscar. She deserves it.
Rated 26 Feb 2017
55
31st
Elle feels like a sexy, sleek thriller hiding in the body of a bloated melodrama. Numerous side plots and characters could have been pared from this film so as to better keep its focus. Nevertheless, it is somewhat entertaining. Michele is quite the enigmatic character.
Rated 10 May 2017
20
14th
Romanesco. Escorpião.
Rated 25 Apr 2017
47
12th
I heard that this movie is an absolutely new take on the subject of rape. Well if it's unrealistic, cold and bullshit I can agree. HOW stupid one has to be to not know that two white people can't have a black child?
Rated 24 Nov 2016
76
54th
French!
Rated 29 Oct 2016
8
71st
Not all of 'Elle's' twists and turns converge neatly at the end, but the film still succeeds as a gripping and disconcerting thriller that walks a dangerous line of exploitation. Verhoeven and Birke spin a web of interesting, questionable characters, all revolving around the coolly dark Michele, whose steely determination to subvert victimization is truly engaging.
Rated 16 Jan 2017
44
25th
She is a victim and a perpetrator...the viewer just the first.
Rated 17 Mar 2017
70
49th
Elle is infused with a great sense of dark humor throughout, adding a unique touch to the proceedings, but it ultimately drops the ball on infusing an emotional resolution into its ending, something it had been doing so well up until that point. Huppert also gives another great, subtle performance as a cold woman dealing with sexuality issues. Shades of Haneke? Not a good look for Verhoeven, though the humor still puts this ahead.
Rated 26 Jun 2017
77
54th
Elle was bizarre in every aspect of it. Its transitions between thriller and drama genres were so confusing. Nonetheless, Isabelle Huppert's performance is such a strong and realistic one. I mean, that is a definite, pure Oscar-worthy acting and makes you wonder how Emma Stone got away with that Oscar trophy.
Rated 23 Mar 2017
60
48th
Elle is an odd film for Verhoeven stylistically that seems almost respectable, despite its lurid subject matter. Huppert gives a praise worthy performance as a victim of sexual abuse that is determined to assert control over her life. It is reminiscent of her role in The Piano Teacher in that her character is outwardly strong while having internal conflicts which manifest as violence. The film gets sillier as her rapist is identified though and there are too many pointless subplots.
Rated 03 Jan 2018
61
17th
I can imagine people liking this, as it has a boldness and vigor, and it doesn't approach the familiar territories. However, there's plenty of clunky directorial decisions to undermine a lot of the goodness here, Huppert's character doesn't transform as some of the minor characters do, and for a movie with a totally shitty ending, it goes on for too long.
Rated 27 Apr 2017
70
40th
I can appreciate that this is not just a celebration of female empowerment, but rather a film that is more cynical about our (male or female) uses of power in any circumstance. But the ludicrousness of some of the events, as well as the detachment of the lead, leaves me, by the end, looking for someone to care for.
Rated 10 Dec 2016
3
26th
Stylized at the beginning before descending into an unbelievable mess. *Her game looked shit too.
Rated 16 Jan 2017
60
33rd
batailleci karakter etrafini yonetiyor. filmin temposu da kadinin sogukkanliligina uygun olarak gerilimden arindirilsa daha iyi olurmus
Rated 26 Mar 2018
65
62nd
Probably the best movie I've ever seen where someone wants to get raped.
Rated 11 Feb 2018
64
63rd
Too far-fetched to be really good but always entertaining.
Rated 01 Feb 2017
55
30th
The first act is amazing, as is Isabelle Huppert's performance, but every time I started getting sucked in something utterly ridiculous would happen and take me out of it (like the random, entirely unnecessary "my baby is black!" subplot). Also thought there were some chauvinistic elements of the story that wouldn't've been there if the character had been written by a woman. Nonetheless, it's a solid, at times thrilling movie with a wonderful lead performance that makes it worth seeing once.
Rated 05 Dec 2016
75
26th
Viewed December 4, 2016.
Rated 24 Feb 2017
65
54th
There were parts about it I really liked, and others that were quite off-putting. And I'm sure that's part of the intent, but I'm not sure it was the good kind of off-putting. I liked the lead character and where she was headed at the beginning, but I gradually began to understand her less and less. It was sufficiently disturbing and frightening when it needed to be, and it's definitely twisted and thought-provoking.
Rated 21 Jun 2017
53
18th
This movie has one of the most out-of-nowhere jump scare, haha. I liked the overall atmosphere but it left me a pretty bad taste in my mouth. But my opinion might change on the second try.

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