I love a good psychological thriller and have a secret fascination with the kind of detective work that must go into investigating plane crashes.

Mathieu (Pierre Niney) is a black box analyst, the (actually orange) cockpit voice recorder or CVR used in aeroplanes to record audio and built to survive crashes. Director Yann Gozlan introduces us to Mathieu via his ear, and we quickly learn that he is very sensitive to sound. He hears and recognises frequencies that others can’t hear, but rather than being celebrated like the Bionic Woman, he is a somewhat nerdy misfit at BEA, the agency that investigates crashes.

Nerdy but with a hot wife, Noémie (Lou de Laâge), who is climbing the aviation industry corporate ladder with a job for Atrian. When one of Atrian‘s passenger jets crashes, and Mathieu is sidelined by boss, Kevin Spacey look alike Victor Pollock (Olivier Rabourdin), his hurt professional pride becomes paranoiac when Pollock disappears.

There are satisfying twists and turns and reveals, some car chases and enough pace and menace to keep you engaged. The re-creations of the flight are intriguing, as is the glimpse behind the curtain of aerospace investigations.

Don’t think too hard about the plot or the preponderance of white men and you’ll most likely enjoy the ride.