Synopsis
Two policewomen from Internal Affairs arrive in a provincial precinct to investigate the death of an Algerian woman who was an informer. One punches, the other eyes, tip top.
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Cast
- Isabelle HuppertEsther Lafarge
- Sandrine KiberlainSally Marinelli
- François DamiensRobert Mendès
- Karole RocherVirginie
- Aymen SaïdiYounès
- François NégretNadal
- Samy NaceriGérald
- Elie LisonRozynski
- Saïda BekkoucheSaïda Bekkouche
- Issam AkelLe voisin arabe
Recommendations
- 100
Village Voice
Serge Bozon's smart, surprising, marvelously realized French crime-and-sex police drama/comedy distinguishes itself with trenchant plotting, inspired framing, and performances that honor true human feeling even as they lunge into the screwball. - 80
Variety
An utterly brazen mix of screwball comedy, film noir and sharp social commentary that hits its own strange bullseye more often than not, Bozon’s third full-length feature (and first since 2007’s WWI musical, “La France”) benefits immeasurably from actors willing to go as far out on a limb as their intrepid director. - 75
Slant Magazine
Instead of finding one consistent tone and sticking to it, Serge Bozon allows the wildly hilarious and the grimly serious to uneasily coexist, exulting in the resultant clash. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Shot in precisely composed frames, with recurring visual motifs and an eye-pleasing color palette that accentuates blue hues, Tip Top is commendably ambitious in its Godardian attempts to deconstruct the police thriller format, but it's only partially successful. - 58
The A.V. Club
Confirms director and co-screenwriter Serge Bozon as one of French cinema’s true oddballs. - 40
The Guardian
There's so much thrown into Tip Top that nothing stands out. - 40
The New York Times
The humor of this situation — or of any of the movie’s strained wackiness — doesn’t particularly translate. It also does little to illuminate the more serious commentary on immigration, the legacy of colonialism and the tensions within the country’s Algerian communities.
