Place Vendôme

As the wife of one of Paris's leading jewellers, Marianne Malivert (Deneuve) wants for nothing. Yet the boredom of privilege has extinguished her former spark. Now she spends most of her time in rehab, fighting a losing battle with the bottle.

But she's not the only one going down the pan. Husband Vincent (Fresson) has been caught fencing stolen stones for the mafia and, despite having premises in Paris's exclusive Place Vendôme, the family business has crumbled along with his reputation. Facing bankruptcy and a life of shame, Vincent kills himself, leaving Marianne with a stark choice: to hit the booze again, or to try and salvage something from the wreckage of her life.

A player in the illegal jewel trade before she married, Marianne knows where the stolen diamonds are hidden. They don't add up to much, especially since they're hot. But they're enough to take her back into the game, and with the help of new suitor, lawyer Jean-Pierre (Bacri), and Vincent's young saleswoman (and former mistress), Nathalie (Seigner), she starts hatching her own scam.

The twisting plot takes them around the diamond markets of Europe as they try and stay one step ahead of the authorities and the disgruntled mafia - led by Marianne's former lover Battistelli (Dutronc). However, Place Vendôme is not merely a gripping noir thriller of jet-setting intrigue. It's also a moving portrait of a middle-aged woman rekindling her passion for life. That's largely down to Deneuve's award-winning performance which slowly transforms Marianne's caged lush into a sexy, liberated, ice queen. But it's also due to director/co-writer Nicole Garcia's refreshing ability to build the drama as much through character development and revelation as through handsome action.