The Flower of Evil

Stylish, ingenious and gleaming with charm, wit and malice, it's another expert blend of domestic drama and crime thriller, a vivisection of the bourgeoisie.

It's a melodrama more than a drama, a light thriller –- which is not to say that it is not wonderfully entertaining and satisfying. In fact, it is both.

The latest Chabrol is a bit bland, but by now a new film of his is almost like meeting a previously unencountered family member.

A terrific multigenerational cast brings a subtle, mordant, frequently funny tale of family secrets vividly to life.

If 'The Flower of Evil' is not vintage Claude Chabrol, it's at least vintage mediocre Claude Chabrol.

You've heard this one before, and in an edgier way -- yet you still admire the old-fashioned storytelling.

Chabrol has been making and remaking this film for six decades now. He seemingly will never tire of explaining how tired he is of the petit bourgeoisie.