The Two Faces Of January

 THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY

Director : Hossein Amini
Year : 2014
Genre : Thriller
Rating : ***1/2

 

The directorial debut of writer turned filmmaker Hossein Amini, 'The Two Faces Of January' is a ravishingly sumptuous psychological thriller based on the 1964 Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name. Set in Athens during the 1960's, the movie tells the story of the Macfarlands, a vacationing couple  (played by a nicotine obsessed Viggo Mortensen and a buxom and confrontational Kirsten Dunst) who end up going on the run with their tricksy tour guide (wonderfully played by 'Inside Llewyn Davis' star Issac) after the accidental murder of a private detective. As the trio travel from city to city in a vain attempt to evade the law, jealousy and paranoia soon drive them hopelessly apart.

Shot with a beautifully nostalgic sensibility by cinematographer Marcel Zyskind and handsomely dressed by Steven Noble, 'The Two Faces Of January' clearly owes something of a debt to the classic Hitchcockian thrillers of the 1940's and 50's; films that lean more towards suspense and apprehension than to jump out of your seat shocks and overwritten exposition. Spending a good half an hour or so to fully develop it's complex characters and establish it's overwrought tone, the film takes a while to play it's macabre hand and because of this, 'The Two Faces Of January' may be a little too slow for some. However, the refined performances from the perfectly cast central trio, Amini's proficient direction and the hypnotically beautiful locations help to distract from a somewhat predictable narrative and a slightly overstretched running time. Engaging, stirring and simply gorgeous to look at, 'The Two Faces Of January' is the perfect film for the moviegoer who has no interest in the mega budget blockbusters currently populating cinema screens across the country this Summer.