Alex, a disenchanted cop, becomes amorously entangled with the feisty Juliette (Côte), his dead brother's ex-girlfriend, only to painfully discover that she was involved in his brother's death. As if this moral dilemma wasn't enough heartbreak, Alex finds out that Juliette is pursuing a lesbian relationship with Catherine Deneuve - - a philosophy professor.
Although the police feature heavily in Techine's twisting morality play, Les Voleurs is much less a conventional crime thriller than an exploration of an intricately connected set of unconventional relationships. The Rashomon-style narrative unfolds in a welter of flashbacks, presenting us with the same events from the respective viewpoints of the different characters. Yet unfortunately the central storyline remains rather unconvincing, despite some sturdy performances (Auteuil and Deneuve in particular), and it ultimately proves very hard to take it all in and become profoundly, emotionally-involved with the angst-ridden protagonists.
