The plot of Les Voleurs at first seems like fairly standard film noir: A misanthropic police officer (Daniel Autiel) and a lonely philosophy professor (Catherine Deneuve) become involved with a passionate, self-destructive kleptomaniac who has shadowy underworld connections to the cop's brother, a ruthless nightclub owner who funds his business through a stolen-auto ring headed up by the kleptomaniac's brother. But from within this relatively conventional framework, Les Voleurs boldly and brilliantly subverts and contradicts the expectations of the genre. While most American films that dabble in noir use it as a springboard for flashy camerawork and over-the-top violence, Les Voleurs adopts a low-key, realistic feel that lends what little violence it contains an almost visceral impact. The film also toys with the conventions of narrative, shifting narrators and times—with major characters dropping out for long periods of time, and seemingly minor characters pushed to the forefront—but its experimentation never feels self-conscious or arbitrary. But what really sets Les Voleurs apart is the depth and complexity of its characters. While most film noir features characters who at first appear good but are later found out, here the protagonists appear to be evil and selfish, but throughout the film are revealed to be more noble, humane and three-dimensional than could possibly be imagined. At two and a half hours, it's a bit too long, but it's probably the most emotionally authentic film noir since The Grifters.