NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: IFC Films Blu-ray (April 2025): IFC Films have transferred Alain Corneau's Love Crime to Blu-ray. We reviewed the, now out-of-print, Arrow Blu-ray from 2013, HERE. This new IFC transfer has a higher bitrate, on a dual-layered disc, and the image is darker. I presume that this is probably more accurate but I don't know positively not having seen the film theatrically. The cinematography, helmed by Yves Angelo (A Heart in Winter, Fear and Trembling), is precise and controlled, favoring a minimalist approach that complements the film’s slow-burn narrative. The film’s color scheme is deliberately subdued as supported by the IFC 1080P, leaning on cool tones to amplify its detached, cerebral tone. Blues, grays, and whites dominate the corporate scenes - think the steely sheen of office furniture or the pale glow of computer screens - creating a chilly, antiseptic atmosphere that mirrors Christine’s ruthless demeanor. Isabelle’s world introduces faint earth tones (beige, soft browns) early on, suggesting a flicker of humanity, but these fade as her plan unfolds, aligning her visually with Christine’s coldness. The video transfer quality preserves the film’s sleek, minimalist aesthetic. This HD presentation was clean and consistent - with pleasing detail in close-ups. All good if not as bright as the dozen-year old UK Blu-ray - remember the darker tone suits the film.  

NOTE: We have added 52 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, IFC Films use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original French language with some English. Sound effects, like the rustle of the murder scarf gain a modest spatial dimension, placing faint echoes in the surrounds to heighten tension without overwhelming the film’s restraint. This lossless 5.1 mix of Love Crime elevates the film’s soundscape beyond a basic stereo presentation. American jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders’ sparse score - soft saxophone wails, piano chords, and faint percussion - benefits from the surround field, with subtle notes drifting into the rear channels to deepen the mood, while maintaining a front-focused clarity in the center channel. Dialogue, vital to the psychological sparring between Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier, remains crisp and prominent - Scott Thomas’s biting condescension and Sagnier’s hardening resolve anchoring the mix - likely with mild surround bleed for ambient office chatter or street noise. The film’s quiet intensity limits low-end punch. It's all clean and has some dynamic resonance via the lossless IFC Films offer burned-in English subtitles for the French dialogue only, on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The IFC Films Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film critic Travis Woods. I recall he contributed to the extras on the Radiance Blu-ray package of Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers By Alain Corneau. He is known for his insightful genre writing and brings his analytical chops to this track. His solo effort digs into Love Crime’s psychological layers, corporate satire, and its place in French thriller tradition. Woods explores Christine and Isabelle’s power dynamics, drawing parallels to Hitchcock / Chabrol, and unpacks Corneau’s final directorial choices with a mix of cinephile enthusiasm and critical rigor. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas’s 1/4 hour video essay - narrated by her - is a substantial extra. A film historian with a focus on gender and genre (author of Rape-Revenge Films), she frames Love Crime within the female-driven revenge narrative tradition, contrasting it with American counterparts like Gone Girl or European forebears like La Cérémonie. An included liner notes booklet features new writing by Katie Rife, a critic known for sharp, concise reviews. It's 12 pages and her essay, Auteur-on-Auteur Violence: The Elusive Whys and Slippery Hows of Love Crime and Passion, blends personal reflection with critical insight, praising the film’s craft while noting its emotional chill - a recurring critique. She contextualizes Love Crime in 2010s cinema, tying it to the era’s wave of twisty thrillers, and lauds Scott Thomas and Sagnier’s performances as the film’s pulse. Her style - witty, direct - makes it readable and incisive, touching on Corneau’s legacy and the film’s cult status. Excellent supplements.

Alain Corneau's Love Crime has themes of power, ambition, betrayal, and the gendered dynamics of corporate life. At its core is a battle for control - Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) wields power through overt dominance, while Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier) learns to subvert it through cunning. The corporate setting symbolizes a modern battlefield, where personal worth is tied to professional success, and betrayal is a currency. There are echoes of John Dahl's The Last Seduction or François Ozon's Swimming Pool. It surely fits into the Neo-Noir genre having a morally ambiguous protagonist, fatalistic undertones, stylish cynicism with betrayal and deception at its core. The IFC Films Blu-ray delivers a solid package for cinephiles and thriller buffs. The extras are a real draw: Woods’ commentary offers a critic’s deep dive, Heller-Nicholas’s essay adds scholarly heft, and Rife’s booklet ties it together with accessible prose. I loved seeing this again - a keeper for sure. Absolutely recommended.

Gary Tooze