Elle

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; doesn't help that her character is both inscrutable and pretty unlikable. A misfire, but as always with Verhoeven an intriguing one.

67/100