European Filmmaker Take On That Scourge of the Modern Age, Global Capitalism

Now 71, Costa-Gavras has made his name with thrillers set against violent political backgrounds, such as "Z," "The Confession," "State of Siege," "Missing" and "Amen." Striking a horizon of targets, from dictatorships of left and right to the Vatican's ambiguous response to the Holocaust, he has grown used to complaints about his political take on history

writes Alan Riding, ignoring double standards such as the latitude given for the "good intentions" excuse, most notably, perhaps, the final image of "L'Aveu" with a graffiti-laden wall with the words "Lenin, wake up; they have gone mad".

With his latest movie, however, he has entered new territory. "Le Couperet" is another thriller, but this time set against a violent economic background. It presents murder as an allegory for the human toll of globalization. And it is happening today.