DISORDER


In “Disorder,” a tense drama directed for maximum suspense by Alice Winocour, the focus is on an interesting French Special Services veteran obviously coiled as a result of his service in Afghanistan. Now he gets security guard jobs, and the story is set in motion when he is assigned by a wealthy Lebanese businessman to guard his wife and son while he is away.

Matthias Schoenaerts does a fine acting job as the guard Vincent, who smells trouble when he observes what he perceives as suspect dealings by mysterious men at a party on the lavish estate. His instincts are alerted as he is determined to carry out his job as protector when the husband goes on his trip.

Other instincts are alerted in his observation of the wife’s cool beauty. Diane Kruger as Jessie, the wife, does an excellent job of quietly projecting sexuality. Her demeanor suggests tolerating as well as relying on her bodyguard. But in one scene she also provides a look that suggests the possibility of an attraction to Vincent, and he, of course, indicates an unspoken, smoldering attraction for her.

The tension builds as Vincent handles the threats he perceives, and he is sorely tested in this assignment. While the film concentrates Vincent’s dealing with the menace that he sees, it also offers an underlying portrait of what combat does to a veteran whose post-military life is still defined by the skills and wariness learned as a soldier. That sub-theme is in a way the film’s most interesting aspect.

Winocour, who wrote the screenplay with Jean-Stéphane Bron, directs with skill in the build-up toward a climax, and the supporting cast members lend authenticity to the set-up. An IFC Films release. Reviewed August 12, 2016.




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