The Axe (Le Couperet)

AroView: Dastardly satire from the always-edgy Costa Gavras plumbs the depths of a corporate downsizing victim (Jose Garcia) who resorts to murderous ways in his career path after going unemployed for two years straight.

Secretly mining the rationale behind terrorism as a “last alternative” in troubled times, Gavras’ acerbic politicking is in strong voice here, with sharp observations on capitalism and the entitlement of the bourgeoisie, whose material lifestyle the corporate vocation helps maintain. After redundancy, Garcia’s discouraged family man resolves to ‘eliminate’ his competitors in the unforgiving job interview process; his bungled and increasingly absurd attempts at violence the source of much black humour. Fielded with sardonic wit, this barbed assault on corporate mores manages to be bitterly funny yet alarmingly resonant in its cynical world view.