Palace Nova Cinemas
Season commences 1st December
2022
Review by Geoff Jenke
Movie Synopsis
Inspired by true events, Jérôme Salle’s espionage thriller KOMPROMAT depicts the remarkable story of a French public servant who unwittingly found himself in conflict with one of the modern era’s most powerful and dangerous forces: Russia’s FSB (formally KGB). Gilles Lellouche stars as Mathieu, a gregarious and dedicated diplomat who accepts a posting to Irkutsk as the head of Siberia’s Alliance Française. He hopes the change will be good for his family and struggling marriage, but before long Mathieu’s staging of cultural events and support of artistic expression sees him fall afoul of local authorities. Accused of a terrible crime, he soon realises someone has fabricated a case with Russia’s Federal Security Service; he has been framed. Arrested, imprisoned, and isolated, Mathieu has nowhere to turn. Defending himself is impossible, the French authorities are helpless… it seems he has no choice: to try and escape.
For those who don’t know the meaning of kompromat, it is the setting up comprising information about a person, to be used in blackmailing or discrediting that person. In this case, a high-ranking member of the FSB, takes a dislike to Mathieu and sets out to destroy him.
Being stuck in a Soviet prison is not a good thing, as our set up character Mathieu soon discovered. He is soon given the chance to try and escape which sets up this thriller nicely. Based loosely on true events, Director Jerome Salle keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the movie.
The movie is bleak, as are the settings, as one would expect of a movie about Russia. The prison scenes are confronting and the escape keeps you guessing, will he make it?
With top-notch direction and excellent performances by its entire cast (including Cold War’s fabulous Joanna Kulig), this French movie, KOMPROMAT delivers pulse-pounding, ticking-clock cinema at its most compelling and entertaining.
No Comments