Polarizing as she might be, Asia Argento's a brilliant firecracker in the French period piece The Last Mistress. A rollicky, rough 'n' tumble costume melodrama, director Catherine Breillat's film hinges on the performance of Argento.And whether you love her or hate her, the snaggletoothed hottie kicks all sorts of ass in a film that deals in the social mores of 1830s Paris.

For a decade, Vellini (Argento), the daughter of a Spanish matador, has been the mistress of Ryno (the entirely too pretty Fu'ad Ait Aattou), a gambling womanizer who travels in high social circles. Yet Ryno has fallen in love with a virtuous rich woman, Hermangarde, and in order to marry her, Ryno must tell Hermangarde's libertine grandmother (Claude Sarraute) all about his infamous mistress. Told in vignettes, Ryno narrates his tempestuous relationship with Vellini, full of pretzel-like sex positions, random "erotic" knifings, and lots and lots of Argento's boobs.

What makes The Last Mistress something more than your standard costume piece (make no mistake, though, there's plenty of pornographic lingering on the costumes and sets) is Argento's tenacity; throwing catty glances and snarling insults, she makes gorgeous Aattou look like a wee girl. (As Vellini says, while sucking on her cigar and eyeing Ryno, "I hate anything feminine, except men.") She's riveting, even as she's gnashing her teeth and wailing—her ugliest moments, in fact, make her even more appealing, in that they make her altogether sympathetic.

Only thing is, not much happens in The Last Mistress. Sure, there's a lot of sex, but ultimately, it's a lot of the same stuff about Vellini and Ryno's doomed relationship, full of hate and love and bloodletting. And if you're not onboard the Asia Argento love train, you're in for a bumpy ride.