For those that imagine French cinema to be stuffy and esoteric, there's Tell No One to prove them wrong. It's an entertaining, twist-filled film from actor/director Guillame Canet that would be the best adaptation of an American thriller novel of the last few years...if it weren't for those pesky (and fantastic) Bourne films. Though I haven't read the Harlan Coben book it's based on, Tell No One is one of the few adaptations that might just surpass its source material.
It all starts off innocently enough: there are babies, puppies, summer homes in the country, and Otis Redding playing on the soundtrack. Alex (Francois Cluzet) and his wife Margot (Marie-Josee Croze of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) share an enviable romance that began in childhood and has continued on into adulthood. The couple goes for a late-night swim, but their quiet evening--and idyllic life--is interrupted by a horrific attack that leaves Alex in a three-day coma and his wife dead. Eight years later, Alex still dwells on that night, and he is filled with hope and confusion when he receives an email that points him to a live webcam with video of his (supposedly) dead wife. The email cautions, "Tell no one. They are watching." Developments in the formerly closed case cause Alex to become the suspect in his wife's death, causing him to go on the run.
What follows moves in unexpected directions. Yes, Alex is accused of a crime he didn't commit, a la The Fugitive and a million other films, but there's plenty here that makes Tell No One feel fresh and fun. He's on the run from the law, but it happens in such an interesting way (I won't spoil it) that you forget that this is a familiar plot point. The denouement caused my jaw to draw a few times (with each successive revelation), but I didn't find any of it to be pushing logic.
Cluzet deserves praise for carrying the film on his shoulders. In a film with this much suspense and multiple plot twists, it'd be easy for the performances to get lost in the shuffle. But he's
sympathetic as Alex, and more importantly, he feels genuine. As his sister-in-law, Kristin Scott Thomas displays an excellent grasp of the French language to match her always top-notch acting skills.
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Smarter than Ben Lyons. Cuter than Harry Knowles.
All images are courtesy of and property of their respective studios and/or distributors.
2 comments:
I had read the book and Steve and I saw the movie on a whim in a theater in Columbus a few months ago. I was very impressed with the adaptation of the novel and appreciated the abrasiveness of the movie (don't think it would have had the same feel if it had been American - they would have shied away from the feel of the novel). Enjoyed the review!
Thanks!
I had the same thought. Although I haven't read that book--or anything else by Coben--it seemed to have been perfectly suited to a French film. There doesn't seem to be a American remake in the works, but who knows how long that will last?
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