With a Friend Like Harry

The antidote to the Hollywood assembly line of formulaic, cookie-cutter psycho movies, this hit thriller from France is so sublimely subtle it makes The Talented Mr. Ripley look like a dog and pony show. The title character (Sergi López, An Affair of Love) has a modus operandi similar to Tom Ripley's--he elbows his way into the life of an old classmate who doesn't remember him--but his performance is so wonderfully elusive you just can't put your finger on what's bugging you about this guy until he secretly and systematically begins sabotaging or eliminating anything (and anyone) he considers to be an obstacle in the life of his clueless old pal Michel (Laurent Lucas). Co-writer and director Dominik Moll's exquisite mastery of the film's abstruse ambiance makes this at once very amusing and wildly discomforting. Highly recommended. (R. Blackwelder)