The Two Faces Of January
Director: Hossein Amini
Actors: Oscar Isaac, Kirsten Dunst
Release Date: Friday 16th May 2014
Genre(s): Thriller
Running time: USA minutes
We all know that you should never judge a book by its cover, and perhaps an addition to that quote should be you should never judge a movie by its title, because by all accounts, The Two Faces Of January has got to be the worst name for a movie in quite a while. Look past that though, and you'll find a film overflowing with talent, being the directorial debut from the writer of Drive, based on a novel from the author who also created The Talented Mr Ripley and Strangers On A Train, as well as an enviable cast list.
Chester (Mortensen) and Colette (Dunst) play a happily married couple on an extravagant holiday through Europe, when they cross paths with Rydal (Isaac), a charming but conniving tour guide in Athens. Not long afterwards, it's revealed that Chester was involved in some shady goings-on back in America, and accidentally kills a private detective who's been sent after him to collect debts. Rydal decides to help the couple escape to Crete, but is clearly motivated by something other than charity, with Chester never sure if the young man wants his money, his wife, or both.
Positives first; the central trio give some great performances, Greece provides some lush scenery for them to play around in, and writer/director Amini gives us two decently directed scenes of suspense. But for what is essentially a tale of murderers on the run, there's not enough tension to really keep driving this story forward. There's never not a single original plot turn along the way, and even when folk do start getting bumped off, it's handled so poorly that you won't react the way the movie wanted you to.
There are vague shadings of Hitchcock here, but without the cojones to do anything interesting with the story, The Two Faces Of January is a classy but joyless affair.
