Bel Ami (2012)

A penniless man claws himself to the top of French society in the Belle Epoque by playing the game of love (and being played by it).

This adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's social realist novel manages to fit everything into the 100-min runtime of a feature film without feeling too hurried.

Watch this: with an open mind. Despite the stunt casting, the cast including Pattinson is more than up to the task of serious drama.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 28 March 2012.