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The Trailer for Paul Verhoeven’s Rape Mystery Elle Reminds You the Genre’s Not Called ‘Thriller’ for Nothing

In the spirit of Chekhov’s gun, there is a dramatic principle that dictates if Isabelle Huppert is shown purchasing a small medieval ax, somebody must be small medieval axed by the end of the film. Critics were wary of how the obscure emotional logic of Paul Verhoeven’s upcoming thriller Elle would play in America (we are much more of a Basic Instinct crowd, after all), but as any good director knows, Isabelle Huppert wielding a small medieval ax is a universal cure for all ills. After being raped in her own home, the commanding Michèle seeks out her mysterious assailant and draws him into a tense game of cat and mouse. A game that, unlike with real cats and mice, will hopefully end with Isabelle Huppert tomahawking a small medieval ax into some rapist’s face.

Watch the Trailer for Paul Verhoeven’s Elle