Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – The Two Faces of January (Movie Review) Page 1

Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – The Two Faces of January (Movie Review)

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The Two Faces of January (UK Rating: 12A)

The big films of 2013 catapulted several new faces onto the 'A' list. Chiwetel Ejiofor and the Oscar winning Lupita Nyong'o, both from 12 Years a Slave, and BAFTA winner, Barkhad Abdi, in Captain Phillips, were suddenly in the spotlight. While Oscar Isaac's trophy haul from Inside Llewyn Davis was less glittering, the work nonetheless flooded in, to the extent that he's about to start filming Star Wars Episode VII.
Image for Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – The Two Faces of January (Movie Review)

Image for Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – The Two Faces of January (Movie Review)

Before that, however, comes the film he made immediately after Inside Llewyn Davis, when the plaudits were still to come. The Two Faces of January is the third Patricia Highsmith novel to be turned into a film - the others being Strangers on a Train (1951) and The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) - and it's a film that sits comfortably alongside its illustrious predecessors.

Rydal (Isaac) is a tour guide in Athens who makes his money through scamming his clients, especially the female ones. When he shows conman Chester (Viggo Mortensen) and Colette (Kirsten Dunst) round the city, he soon finds himself embroiled in helping them escape after the sudden death of the private detective on their tail. Rydal's increasing infatuation with Colette and Chester's paranoia and jealousy all result in a tense battle of wits between the two men which puts both their lives in danger.

It's familiar territory, especially for Tom Ripley fans. Two male protagonists who identify with something in each other. Moral ambiguity: Rydal and Chester are both conmen, the only difference being that Chester works on a bigger scale. A distant father and son relationship, although this time Rydal's father has died and his mother rebukes him by letter for not attending the funeral. There's another beautiful backdrop, this time Greece - Athens at first, and then Crete - and even the soundtrack owes more than a bar or two to The Talented Mr Ripley.

Not that first time director Hossein Amini allows himself to be distracted by the scenery. It would have been all too easy to linger over the historic sites and landscapes, but instead he keeps his focus on the characters and storyline, providing 90 taut minutes of mounting tension. It's an impressive debut, all the more notable for its discipline.

He's picked a trio of strong actors, as well. Mortensen's Chester MacFarland descends from the smooth, cool con artist to a sweaty, drunken paranoid fugitive constantly looking over his shoulder. Unfortunately, Colette is less well drawn, given Kirsten Dunst much less to work with. Isaac's Rydal, for all his opportunism and shady dealings, is the closest the film gets to a hero and the actor holds his own with ease against the more experienced Mortensen.
[score=8]Ultimately, The Two Faces of January finds it difficult to escape the shadow of The Talented Mr Ripley and there's just one echo too many. Nonetheless, for fans of the psychological thriller, with the obligatory touch of noir, it's still a gripping watch with some strong performances and plenty of atmosphere.

The Two Faces of January goes on release around the UK from today, Friday, 16th May.