With "I comme Icare",Heni Verneuil whose know-how was never called into question became more ambitious ; although handicapped by a thoroughly implausible ending ( an easy way out "I comme Icare " avoided ,and in a stunning way at that) and a cliché used for the umpteenth time : the divorced couple who through danger and trial , ultimately fall in love again .

But all that remains is successful ; the depiction of the schemes used by an American multinational to take over French (among others) industries is a difficult subject , not spectacular at all .Mel Ferrer's genial and cynical speech (which must not exceed two minutes, because" I do not want to bore my audience") reveals,behind the façade of respectability an adamant icy personality ( see how Michel Auclair is fired) , the huge meeting ,around the table looks like a Maffia reunion .

The flashbacks are ,like in "I comme Icare " , smartly introduced ;sometimes it's a "enough is enough" feeling when they turn black and white to describe GTI 's involvement with the Nazis and their ruthless opportunism ,but thanks to the actors , the movie survives the heavy intentions .

The sadly missed Dewaere ,unlike Belmondo in "peur sur la ville" ,never hogs the stage and ,as he is the only main character in the whole movie,he carries it on his shoulders ,without overplaying ; Jeanne Moreau makes her one and only scene count;so do, in their small parts ,Anny Duperey ,Michel Auclair and veteran Fernand Ledoux whose career began in the silent age ; On the other hand ,Caroline Cellier,an excellent actress, is given a cardboard character and cannot do anything with it .

Verneuil was always despised by the highbrows ; but his best works must be restored to favor.

... like any other film directed by Henri Verneuil. "You freed us from a military occupation to replace it with an economic occupation", says Dewaere's character to Mel Ferrer, a current truth. Patrick Dewaere is not very expressive but it's his nature as an actor, and in this film he fits perfectly with the character. Yes, the film clearly shows the delusional cynicism of the "powerful", and the shameful origins of certain major capitals today. Two small but exceptional performances by two great French actors, Jeanne Moreau and Charles Denner. Jean-Pierre Kalfon is also very good in the role of the killer. Music by a great master. Philippe Sarde.

Capitalism, liberalism, profits, benefits, money, power ... how far can this vision of life can lead to ? This movie deals with a story that could easily be classified as 'usual' today ; a journalist tries to find the truth about a big holding shady business and discover tremendous things that make his life in danger.

Beyond that cliché of cinema, "Mille Milliards de dollars" points at the world we're living in, where money and power rule, where people thinks to be free but are actually pawns moved by interests and to make always more and more benefits, where the stakes are so huge there are no law anymore, no human beings, just customers, workers, business, profit: The real power is not in politic but in money !

Made about 20 years ago and still so actual...a great movie !