This film was quite enjoyable and very thrilling, but I'm somewhat disappointed by its unfulfilled potential.Let's just say that the acting, directing, visuals, sound, everything was perfect, not standing ovation material (I don't believe people give standing ovations for editing or sound), but it was transparent. I saw the story and I was completely immersed. I did not notice any of the ingredients but that's the point, to get you in the story. Film is not a competition between visual artists, editors, cinematographers in seeing who can stand out. It's a team effort and in this case, it works very well.I have a tiny issue to nitpick with the editing - the passage of time is not shown. We don't know how much time has passed between events. Sometimes it's months, sometimes it's years. We have to wait for someone to say "It's been 3 years now" but that's not a great way of telling the story. "Show not tell" is the oft-repeated rule and as tiring as it is to hear and read, it needs to be repeated. There are many ways to show the passing of time. Montages, time-lapses, season changes, changes in hair or appearance. The flaw is that they showed Mathieu ask Alice on a date and then he meets her parents in their home. One would think that it's a few months into the relationship (meeting the parents for the first time) but it is later revealed that it is 3 years later. If the confusion of time were part of the story, that would be good, but it isn't.That tiny flaw is not something I would deduce points for, however.My real disappointment is that the start of this film, the plagiarist's road to fame was 10/10 and I wanted more. If it had continued down that road, I would put this film as one of my top 20 of all time. However, sadly, the film went another direction and made it a story of blackmail, extortion and a murder investigation.We already have tons of films about blackmail and extortion. People have a tape, a USB key, a photo, a witness, and someone has to find a way to buy silence and bury the truth. There are so many films about this topic. So many films about someone burying a body, faking a disappearance, worrying about the body resurfacing, day-dreaming and hallucinating of blood, seeing cops everywhere.I enjoyed the first part of the film so much, the hopeful artist, the plagiarist, his meteoric rise, the creating a persona from interviews and quotes. I wanted that to continue. I wanted him to double down on that, to go the route of Catch Me If You Can. He plagiarized his first novel with zero money, now he should be able to do it again and again, using his wealth to dig for the next novel, to scour writers workshops for ideas, to travel the world in search of another unpublished gem to steal.I wanted to see a film where a plagiarist realizes that a career of plagiarism is a full-time job. He has to keep publishing to keep up his lifestyle or people would call him a one-hit wonder. Instead, we have a film about a rich person trying to bury a secret. What the secret was (affair, real name, identity, criminal record) is irrelevant in this film.He is just a rich person struggling with debts, a secret, extortion and all he wants is to keep living in luxury.An enjoyable film nonetheless, even though I wished for more originality.

The French are the masters of the sophisticated, character-driven psychological thriller, and "Un Homme Idéal" is further proof. The writing-directing team of Yann Gozlan and Guillaume Lemans (I will be looking for more films from these two) make every situation build inescapably from the previous one (everything that can go wrong, does go wrong), use the beautiful Cote D'Azur locations organically, and handle the suspense well, in the Hitchcockian manner. Although the film is set in a slightly "heightened" reality, which is one of the pleasures of the genre after all, it rarely hits a false note. An exemplary thriller. *** out of 4.

The French know how to make films and this is a perfect example of it. A well-thought and well-made suspense thriller in the style of Hitchcock "Un homme ideal" is certainly a wonderful example of this genre. The film goes by just the right pace and never in a moment leaves the viewer distracted or bored.Pierre Niney gives a deeply emotional performance, constantly changing his emotions from desperation to satisfaction, anger and fear to represent a character that is very diverse in the pursuit of his big dream - become an author at all costs. There is almost natural chemistry between him and the main actress (Ana Girardot)which gives a bit of extra realism that deepens the mood of the film.The sets are very well-chosen creating a contrast with the main character's emotions - the dark and cold city landscape when he was excited about his work and wanted to succeed but couldn't and the sunny and warm seaside when he took his success for granted and his world started to fall apart.A good and exciting thriller with solid performances and many unexpected turns.

A true terrific surprise, this homage to Alfred Hitchcock and Patricia Highsmith. All long this movie, I thought of Mr Riplet - PLEIN SOLEIL. The cruel destiny of a petty uninspired novelist, who suddenly discover an old forgotten manuscript written by a dead man and decides to appropriate it to himself. We watch here the rise to fame and celebrity for the forgerer, and that's when it becomes very taut, thrilling, with terrific performances from the outstanding characters. Our lead will have to desperately fight against all odds to make it. Pierre Niney is a promising actor. I am sure he'll have a great career, that's the worst I wish him. Watch out for Marc Barbé's performance, as the stinking blackmailer; a character that suits him like a glove.