Film review: Scribe (4 out of 5)

The French do seem to have a knack of coming up with excellent tense thrillers that rely on characters and dialogue rather than special effects.
François Cluzet in ScribeFrançois Cluzet in Scribe
François Cluzet in Scribe

First-time director Thomas Kruithof has pulled together an intriguing tale that has hints of Gene Hackman’s 70s classic The Conversation.

François Cluzet plays Duval, a recovering alcoholic who lives alone, enjoys jigsaw puzzles and is out of work.

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One night he is invited to come to an interview for a job by a man called Clément who offers him work transcribing taped conversations.

It’s very clear this is part of surveillance work but Duval is happy to earn some money and have a purpose in life.

However, it soon becomes clear that there is a very dark side to Clément and Duval is soon involved in all manner of problems and complications that threaten his life.

Cluzet is great in the main role and the acting generally is very restrained and low-key which adds to the tension.

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We follow Duval through all the twists and turns to a dramatic finale.

Overall this is a great thriller that has plenty of surprises and keeps you guessing as to the outcome until the very end.

Scribe will be in UK cinemas and on demand from the July 21.