In Scribe, Francois Cluzet plays a middle-aged man called Duval. Alone, unemployed since losing his accountancy job and battling a drink problem, he has a pretty desperate life. One evening, he gets a phone call from Clement (Denis Podalydes), a man he has never met, who offers him a job transcribing taped recordings. Duval takes the job but soon finds that the recordings take a sinister turn.
This is a really intriguing set-up. Cluzet is great in the world-weary role and as events begin to spiral out of Duval’s control, I was kept guessing. Whilst the unfolding plot concerning political dirty tricks does the job and maintains believability, the last act lets things down. A couple of decisions made by the protagonists don’t really make a lot of sense and the conclusion ties all the loose ends up too neatly.
Aside from Cluzet, the excellent Alba Rohrwacher is given little to do as Duval’s potential love interest but Simon Abkarian fares better as the scary Gerfaut. Ultimately this is enjoyable tense stuff that falls apart towards the end, but is worth seeking out.
Rating: 7 out of 10