The Man from London
Miroslav Krobot, Tilda Swinton, Erika Bok, Istvan Lenart
Director: Bela Tarr
Based on a Georges Simenon novel, Bela Tarr's latest film is a thriller without the thrills. But in a good way: reinvented by the Hungarian master of long takes of menacing silence in gloomy monochrome, The Man from London now tastes like the dregs left over from a cup of strong black coffee.
Steadfastly refusing to capitalise on the original story's possibilities for adrenalin rushes, Tarr has instead placed the emphasis on how an illicitly obtained suitcase of cash amplifies the soul-destroying self-doubt already bubbling within Maloin (Miroslav Krobot), a weathered railway signalman in a French seaside town.
Akin to his previous film Werckmeister Harmonies - in which a newly arrived freak show unleashes long-suppressed discontent in a Hungarian town - the valise of ?60,000 brings ignominy rather than bliss, as his misguided ways of managing the cash only elevate friction at home with his wife (Tilda Swinton). It's not long before the devil shows up on his doorstep, in the shape of British detective Morrison (Istvan Lenart), in town to check on the whereabouts of the money.