This superb French thriller, based on an American novel by Harlen Coben is a taut, rock and roll ride, anchored by a moving love story. I was fortunate enough to see this film twice, first at the City of Lights, City of Angels French film festival here in Los Angeles and then a year later at a recent press screening. It is finally being given a limited release in the United States, unfortunately two years after it has already become a huge hit in the U.K., not because it’s not an excellent film but because, according to what the director, Guillaume Canet, was told, it was not recognizably French. Oh la, la! Get thee behind us marketers.

Alex Beck (Francois Cluzet) is a pediatrician married to his childhood sweetheart, Margot (Marie-Josee Croze) when she disappears one night during a late night swim in a secluded country lake. Cut to eight years later as Alex, still visibly grieving, is contacted by her, just as the investigation into her murder is reopened and he, once again, becomes the prime suspect. As is the case with this type of thriller, the audience, are invited in, gradually. Fed bits of information little by little, learning along with our hero Alex as he is forced to flee, literally, out his office window. And there is never any doubt of his innocence, perhaps the only bit of weakness in the script. But there is tension and action aplenty to make up for it.

All of the secondary characters surrounding Alex are intriguing, partly for who they are but also because of their stellar acting credentials. There is Andre Dussolier, a huge star in French TV and film having worked with Rohmer, Truffaut and perhaps best known here in the U.S. as the narrator of Amelie. There is Kristin Scott Thomas cast a bit against her frosty, reserved and troubled type as Alex’s best friend: the flirtatious and glamourous lesbian partner of Alex’s sister, Anne (Marina Hands.) Natalie Baye, another and very glamorous French femme shows off her fab over forty looks as the Alex’s ass kicking lawyer.

Canet moved into the the movie world after rising to the top of the Grand Prix Competitive Show Jumping circuit, shown in the film. It all ended when he had exactly the same accident you see in the film, except that the horse stepped all over him when it stood up, crushing many bones. He recovered but not his nerve, and fortunately for us, he turned his attention and discipline to filmmaking. Both Marina Hands and Phillipe Neuville, who plays the villain in the film, were known to him from the horse world.

The film works because, it’s twists and turns are challenging enough to keep us on the edge of our seats, yet not so confusing that we get lost, as is often the case in these kinds of stories. And because the feeling of the love story is ever present, our hero’s and ultimately the audiences’ motivation is clear and heartfelt.

Opens June 27.

Written and directed by Guillaume Canet and Phillipe Lefebrvre, based on the novel by Harlan Coben; Director of Photography, Christophe Offenstein, edited by Herve De Luze, Original Music by M, Produced by Alain Attal, Executive Producers, Luc Besson and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam. Released by Music Box Films. Running time: 125 minutes.

With:Francois Cluzet (Alexandre Beck), Marie-Josee Croze (Margot Beck), Andre Dussolier (Jacques Laurentin), Kristin Scott-Thomas (Helene Perkins), Francois Berleand (Eric Levkowitch) Nathalie Baye (Elysabeth Feldman), Jean Rochefort (Gilbert Neuville) and Guillaume Canet (Phillipe Neuville.)