This French crime thriller has a tremendous global reputation and it is well deserved. Shame on me, but one reason is that it IS an American crime thriller. Only everyone involved is French, they speak French and it was filmed in France.

This is not to criticize this flick, but this movie references a ton of American movies. For one reference, The Shining The entire setting is at a university in the French Alps that is so remote that it can be cut off for a month at a time during winter from the nearby village. What are they up to?

This is not your normal university. It is so insular that most of the professors and students, all of whom are geniuses, are children of former professors and students. Can you say "eugenics"? One step to "uber race."

The setting is a stunning portrayal of a remote place in the Alps. In the U.S., this would be the Rockies. Or, perhaps, the Sierra Nevadas. Lonesome territory. Who knows what goes on.

The ending revelation, I have to admit, caught me by surprise. But it was earned.

I am not one to urge American remakes of European films, but this would work as a remake stateside because the plot touches on issues that Americans have had (at least a little) experience with -- fascism, eugenics and racism.

That stuff was crazy. But there is a vestigial legacy. Can you say "tea party"?