jacques audiard and who previously give u the very interesting read my lip ( 2001 ) and the cute and clever venus beauty institute ( 1999 ) and manage to create here a story about a character who be both a petty gangster and a pianist . not exactly your usual combination of talent . romain duris play thomas seyr who be that character . duris bring an animal sensuality and an artist sensitivity to the part . he be an actor of unusual skill and vitality . audiard get the most out of him . in the beginning tom seyr be in apprenticeship to take over his father way of life in a french version of the protection racket . their particular hustle involve get property condemn by trash them or infect them with rat or some other vermin and forcibly throw out squatter or tenant and then buy the property on the cheap and and then finally sell it at a nice profit . in the end and tom . well and i can not give you the end and but i can say that it be entirely agreeable and surprising with just a little twist on what we might expect . neils arestrup play the father . there be some other interesting character and a lot of macho action and a bit of blood here and there and some quick and easy sex . and then there be an old piano teacher that tom happen to run into one day who invite him to an audition . tom have not play the piano seriously for year and but just see his old teacher bring back the thrill and the deep intimacy he once have with music and and recall to him the career of his deceased mother and who be once a concert pianist who have hop that her son would be too . he have the talent . but of course play the piano at that level be not something you can take up and let go and and then go back to . but tom think maybe he can do it with a little practice . but he need a teacher to prepare for the audition . when he try to get one he be effectively laugh at since he be 28 year old and be very much out of practice and indeed never really practice that much . but by chance ( there be a number of plot furtherance in this film that come about by chance but that be not a problem because the chance meeting seem natural and be event that would probably happen eventually ) and so by chance he be hook up with a young woman fresh from china who speak no french and but be an expert pianist who need a little money . she agree to help him . her name be miao lin . she be play brilliantly with subtlety and finesse by french vietnamese actress linh dan pham and whom i previously saw in indochine ( 1992 ) play the adopt child of catherine deneuve character . the act ability of romain duris and linh dan pham be what carry this film . audiard direction be a bit scatter at time and especially in the beginning lack focus and but a clever storyline and his ability to get great performance from the player overcome these fault . see this for romain duris who give a virtuoso performance and for linh dan pham who captivate with restrained intensity .