Black Box

Following the crash of a passenger plane in the French Alps, only the aircraft's voice recorder is recovered intact. After the disappearance of the lead investigator, Victor Pollock (Olivier Rabourdin), Philippe Renier (Andre Dussollier), head of the French air accident investigation authority, entrusts black box analyst Mathieu Vasseur (Pierre Niney) with the case. The young expert quickly isolates an on-board recording that points to an Islamist terrorist act. The suspicion is made public. However, Mathieu begins to have doubts after analyzing cell phone data from the victims' circle. When he learns that Pollock was alone with the voice recorder before his disappearance, he breaks into his house. Mathieu finds video recordings of secret meetings between Pollock and entrepreneur Xavier Renaud (Sebastien Pouderoux), whose company designs computer security systems for aircraft - including for the manufacturer of the ill-fated plane. A pilot informs Mathieu that the assistance system installed in the crashed aircraft was considered immature. Mathieu obtains sensitive documents about the bumpy testing process of the flight assistance system from the laptop of his wife Noemie (Lou de Laage), who works for the Agency for Aviation and Space Safety. In doing so, he jeopardizes Noemie's job-and his marriage. With the documents, Mathieu persuades Renier to conduct further tests, but these prove inconclusive. He suspects that the voice recorder has been replaced. Mathieu is suspended, but continues his investigation and soon discovers a new lead. When he has the necessary evidence for the true cause of the plane crash in his hands, his life is put in danger.