Chabrol's fiftieth film finds the master turning back the clock to glamorous To Catch a Thief-era Hitchcock, when criminals were suave and crimes were something only the truly charming committed. Confidence artists Victor (Michel Serrault) and Betty (Isabelle Huppert) scam their way from Parisian casinos to Alpine ski chalets, looking for dullard businessmen to take for money, but not all their money (“so they won't even notice,” Victor politely states). But when Betty lures in a handsome big-wig with a suitcase of cash and his own idea of an even bigger scam, Victor senses trouble; “we're stepping out of our league,” he mutters, though it's Betty's friendship (or worse) with the mark that worries him more. Part Mamet-like tale of confidence hucksters and relationships, The Swindle is primarily-like any fiftieth landmark-a celebration, filled with good humor, witty asides (Chabrol's take on the genre's obligatory “interrogation scene” is as droll as any), and a love for the tale, and the telling.