Despite being based on a 19th-century serial novel, Lost Illusions feels remarkably close to contemporary concerns about fake news and the devaluing of art for profit. But as the story is also, obviously, set in the 19th century, all this bribery and these backdoor dealings are done entirely through the written word and by sending runners from one Parisian theater to the next—and the result is uniquely thrilling. Nearly every character is a terrible person (like in an old-timey Goodfellas way) and it can get tiring seeing the film glorify their hustle, but the energy it brings is rare to find in any other period drama.

The greatest moments of tension in Lost Illusions don't have to do with any acts of violence or 19th-century gangsters, but in seeing if a theatrical performance will be rewarded with either applause or jeering—the end result of competing newspapers and/or stakeholders in trying to influence various people. But the film is smart enough to go beyond this too; by defining these characters' lives as just a series of transactions, their own relationships and principles become just as easy to buy and sell as well. Again, not too far off from the tabloid vultures and propagandists who toy with public sentiment today.