Director: Hossein Amini
Writer: Hossein Amini (Screenplay) Patricia Highsmith (Novel)
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Daisy Bevan, Babis Chatidakis, David Warshofsky
Plot: A thriller centered on a con artist, his wife, and a stranger who flee Athens after one of them is caught up in the death of a private detective.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Slow Thriller
Story: The Two Faces of January starts as we meet vacationing couple Chester (Mortensen) and Colette (Dunst) who are visiting Athens where they meet American tour guide Rydal (Isaac). As the three spend a day together this turns into nothing special.
The film takes a big twist when we learn that Chester is a con artist who has been tracked down by a private detective that he kills but Rydal witnesses this and joins them on their escape from Athens then Greece and the mess they find themselves in.
The Two Faces of January has good without saying special performance from the three leads in the movie, as for the rest of the cast they are just your average supporting cast never doing anything to push the story further than our three leads. Viggo would be considered the stand out of the three as he must play the calm character at times but also show his darker side when needed.
As for the thriller side, we are kept guessing as we do always get the feeling something is going on between the characters without being told this, this happens from the looks but most importantly from the music being used through the film. We get a very loss romantic story going on that doesn’t get a chance to come through enough which disappoints. The settings are all beautiful just like the back drops of Greece would be to any film.
In the end this is a slow-moving thriller that just doesn’t get to pull us in enough even though it has an idea of keeping us guessing what is going on.
Overall: This is one of those thrillers that you know there are twists coming but in the end just doesn’t suck you in enough.
Rating
