Suspense veteran returns to form with "Roman" (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - "Roman de gare," a thriller by French suspense veteran Claude Lelouch, features murder, duplicity, romance and revenge along with enough red herrings and plot reversals to intrigue his fans.

Its a typically messy and eccentric film from Lelouch, whose later work has jammed stories and genres together to accommodate his idiosyncratic narrative style. That approach didnt work in a film like "Le genre humain: Les parisiens," but here the messiness provides the charm. Lelouch has dispensed with the normal tight structure that suspense requires, and decided to have fun playing around instead. The result is infectiously enjoyable.

"Roman de gare," which Lelouch directed, produced, and co-wrote, opens in New York on April 25 via Samuel Goldwyn Films. The special brew of crime and romance with a bit of comedy thrown in will delight many and confound some, but its certainly Lelouchs best work in a while.

Roman de gare translates as "railway station novel," and is a term for popular literature. The plot features a famous novelist, a jilted girlfriend, a ghostwriter, a serial killer and an honest cop. The main story homes in on the ghostwriter, but Lelouch isnt afraid to go wherever he wants, spending time constructing interlinked subplots for the supporting characters. Some things arent how they seem, and some things are. In spite of the storys many lurches, Lelouchs hand remains steady throughout, and the denouement is satisfying and logical.

Lelouch has sometimes been described as a visual stylist in search of a serious theme. "Roman de gare" doesnt provide that. Like a best-selling novel, its plot-driven rather than character driven. It races along from event to event, character to character, at breakneck speed.

Well-rounded performances from Dominique Pinon, Fanny Ardant and Audrey Dana add breadth and depth. Lelouchs stylistic touches are downplayed, and bar a shot of a champagne glass floating listlessly in the sea, the visuals are straightforward.

He originally directed the film under a pseudonym (Herve Picard) to see how critics would react to the film without his name attached, but the secret was out before the Cannes premiere last year.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter