The Two Faces of January (B or 3/4 stars)
Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith (who also wrote the similar The Talented Mr. Ripley), 'The Two Faces of January' (written & directed by 1st time helmer, Hossein Amini) is a stylish, pretty good/not great thriller set in the Greek Isles & Turkey in 1962. The story revolves around a married couple & a young American tour guide that they encounter and, well ... none of them wind up being who they seem. Rydal (Oscar Isaac) is the young American trying to find himself in Greece in 1962, working as said tour guide. How does he get by? Well, he enjoys making a dishonest buck or two off of eager, naive tourists.
His newest clients, a wealthy NY couple named Chester & Colette (suave, dastardly Viggo Mortensen & an elegant Kirsten Dunst), 'seem' as genteel & lovely a couple as you can get; that is, until Rydal discovers Chester trying to dispose of the body of a private detective who he just accidentally killed. Put in a hugely compromising position, the three of them go on the lam. Rydal learns more about Chester than he probably should know & winds up in much too deep. Mistrusts, romantic entanglements, tragedy, & slowwwburn tension ensues to a climax that winds up being not as substantial as one would have hoped leading up to it.
I enjoyed 'TTFoJ' for the it's various parts, if not for it's whole. For capturing the look, feel, & vibe of Europe in the early '60s, this movie deserves top marks. The amazing Mediterranean locales, sun-drenched photography, & gorgeous period costumes (crisp mens suits, stylish sunglasses, womens hats, etc.) make this quite the voyeuristic pleasure. I also enjoyed Alberto Iglesias' romantic, film noir-influenced musical score. According to my research, the movie makes an effort to get all the details of the fiendish con-men plot correct. And when you've got Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac, & Kirsten Dunst in a film, you can expect some strong performances. I particularly enjoyed Viggo's suspicions of/and repartee with Oscar Isaac; who broods & contemplates Viggo's every next move like a chess player.
The problem I have with 'TTFoJ' - and it's not a damning one - is that my overall interest in what was going on kept waning as I went. For over an hour, I was IN. I had some sympathy for the characters. Despite the languid pacing, I was engaged. A certain death took me by complete surprise {in a good way}. But then the movie unspools in a somewhat unsatisfactory way; leading to an ending that does not befit the rest of the story -- it just didn't seem to jive with the rest of the proceedings. Then again, maybe that's because we really don't know these secretive people all too well. They are, after all, due to their life circumstances ... secretive. Nonetheless, I liked more than I didn't. I just wish the final 3rd was as strong as the 1st two. The film deserved something more satisfying.
His newest clients, a wealthy NY couple named Chester & Colette (suave, dastardly Viggo Mortensen & an elegant Kirsten Dunst), 'seem' as genteel & lovely a couple as you can get; that is, until Rydal discovers Chester trying to dispose of the body of a private detective who he just accidentally killed. Put in a hugely compromising position, the three of them go on the lam. Rydal learns more about Chester than he probably should know & winds up in much too deep. Mistrusts, romantic entanglements, tragedy, & slowwwburn tension ensues to a climax that winds up being not as substantial as one would have hoped leading up to it.
I enjoyed 'TTFoJ' for the it's various parts, if not for it's whole. For capturing the look, feel, & vibe of Europe in the early '60s, this movie deserves top marks. The amazing Mediterranean locales, sun-drenched photography, & gorgeous period costumes (crisp mens suits, stylish sunglasses, womens hats, etc.) make this quite the voyeuristic pleasure. I also enjoyed Alberto Iglesias' romantic, film noir-influenced musical score. According to my research, the movie makes an effort to get all the details of the fiendish con-men plot correct. And when you've got Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac, & Kirsten Dunst in a film, you can expect some strong performances. I particularly enjoyed Viggo's suspicions of/and repartee with Oscar Isaac; who broods & contemplates Viggo's every next move like a chess player.
The problem I have with 'TTFoJ' - and it's not a damning one - is that my overall interest in what was going on kept waning as I went. For over an hour, I was IN. I had some sympathy for the characters. Despite the languid pacing, I was engaged. A certain death took me by complete surprise {in a good way}. But then the movie unspools in a somewhat unsatisfactory way; leading to an ending that does not befit the rest of the story -- it just didn't seem to jive with the rest of the proceedings. Then again, maybe that's because we really don't know these secretive people all too well. They are, after all, due to their life circumstances ... secretive. Nonetheless, I liked more than I didn't. I just wish the final 3rd was as strong as the 1st two. The film deserved something more satisfying.