Read My Lips 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.

An accomplished, menacing thriller from the writer-director of A Self-Made Hero and See How They Fall. Here Jacques Audiard uses a film noir framework in order to bring an unorthodox romantic relationship into sharp focus.

Treated as little more than a dogsbody by her office colleagues, deaf secretary Carla (Emmanuelle Devos) forms an unlikely alliance with her new work assistant, seedy ex-convict Paul (Vincent Cassel). But we're not just talking cups of coffee and friendly chats at the photocopier here - - Paul wants to use Carla's lip-reading skills to help him rob violent nightclub-owner Marchand (Olivier Gourmet), to whom Paul already owes money.

Tautly written and stylishly composed, Read My Lips is part Hitchcock homage, part absorbing character study. Audiard succeeds in creating both, benefitting hugely from Devos and Cassel's powerful central performances as two lonely and fearful outsiders who gradually recognise their mutual dependency.

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.