Here is a really original idea for a movie. Bruno Davert is a French expert in a profession that falls victim to consolidation and lay-offs. His losing the job does not really seem to affect his material life, thanks maybe to the French or European safety net, but does hurt him in his personal life and pride of being the main income provider in the home. He loves his family, he is ready to fight for his dignity, so he will do the normal thing that one can do in his situation - he draws a list of his competitors - one holding the only remaining dream position and the other five best competitors who are jobless as he is and ... starts eliminating them.Costa Gavras, the director of the big political causes touches here an important issue of our days which hurts badly a lot of people. The nice thing is that he is doing it in a way that combines black humor and compassion, and in a minor mode that does not allow us to really hate the serial killer hero of the story. Jose Garcia is cast in the main role, and as the whole cast he plays in a minor and day-to-day manner that gives the impression that the terrible deeds happening under our eyes are the norm in a society that lost its human logic. This film is not a shocker when you see it, it is actually quite entertaining and funny to watch sometimes, but makes you reflect at the real situation described here more after the movie than during the screening. Which is not small thing to achieve I believe.

Many years ago there was a film starring Alec Guinness called "Kind Hearts and Coronets", which took the case that a member of a wealthy family murders off his relatives to inherit the estate. "Le Couperet" offers a similar plot, although this time a disgruntled unemployed engineer becomes an inept assassin to remove his competitors for a top job with often-hilarious consequences.In this very dark comedy Jose Garcia does well as the bumbling killer, at times reminiscent of a young Jack Lemmon, and there are many surprises along the way. The film does highlight more sincerely than you may expect the plight of middle-aged professionals that are retrenched, and find it difficult to obtain positions in the current climate. Many watching the movie might well relate to its characters and their plight.Excellent sequences include the job interview, which has more than a ring of truth, the discussions about unemployment and its social consequences by the discouraged out-of-work executives, and the scenes with the marriage counselor. Despite its black humour, there is a very human side to this film. Costa-Gavras is an exceptional filmmaker, with experience that shows in the smooth integration of the hilarious with an undertow of real pathos. The story ends on a suitably enigmatic note.

People who characterize this film as a comedy obviously haven't got it. The comic element is just a thin surface. This is a tragic story and a very strong political statement. Obviously Bruno's decisions and actions are absurd, but his circumstances are not. The movie offers an incisive look at the dark reality of chronic unemployment. Corporate greed leads to story after story after story of desperation. Westlake and Gavras know that in order to pass the message you have to lighten up the atmosphere (a la Truman Show), or else the viewer won't sit the whole movie. In order to appreciate the film you have to marginalize the main plot element (the murder story) and concentrate on all the subplots.

I saw this Costa-Gavras movie in a theater. During 2 hours, you follow a man who went crazy because, after his lay off he is not able to find another place as a chemist in the paper industry. Since he cannot think of doing another job, since every interview for a job ends with a meaningful "we'll call you", he decides that the only way to get back his job is "simply" to kill his competitors.My first impression was that the movie is too long and many scenes are in fact boring, and the story is not interesting enough or complex enough to make a movie by itself. The idea that, in our modern society, many people define themselves by their job (and not by what they achieve in other fields, their family life for instance), is probably an interesting theme. In his movie however, I cannot tell if the director Costa-Gavras opted for a comedy or a drama about a serial killer. Some scenes are somewhat funny, but they are too scarce. You mainly see the main character trying to get rid of potential rivals in various ways, and the whole is neither credible enough, nor burlesque enough, nor breathtaking enough. Maybe we'll get a better movie if you keep it short, concise and cut all the boring scenes.If you want a good drama which is also a good social satire from France, pick any of the Chabrol's. If you're for a good comedy with a corporate background, I would suggest "The Closet" ("Le placard") by Francis Weber.One good thing about "Le couperet" however, the acting is very good and allows the movie not to fall apart. (But I prefer José Garcia when he is directed in a more funny way).