Don't Touch The Axe review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

A stately adaptation of Balzac’s novel The Duchess Of Langeais by veteran French director Jacques Rivette, this cruelly ironic costume drama unfolds in the salons, ballrooms and boudoirs of 1820s Restoration Paris. It’s in this gilded milieu that married socialite Antoinette ( Jeanne Balibar) flirtatiously toys with the affections of brooding Napoleonic General Armand De Montriveau (Guillaume Depardieu). The latter perpetrates an act of revenge that makes the coquettish Antoinette belatedly realise the depth of her own desires. Shot in long takes that nail the cat-and-mouse nature of the couple’s relationship, Don’t Touch The Axe reveals Rivette’s ability to tone-shift between comedy, romance and even adventure. Meanwhile, Balibar delivers a supremely arch portrayal of a woman whose every gesture and expression seem calculated for effect.

More info

Available platformsMovie
Less

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.