From its very beginning, The Two Faces of January, with its beautiful postcard cinematography, sets an uncomfortable mood. It gives you the feeling of being in a foreign country, at the opposite side of the world, free from your troubles or daily routine back home, but it also makes you feel very isolated and vulnerable, as if anyone might abuse you since you know neither the place, the language nor the customs.
Yes, it's a thriller and yes, it plays that role well (even though some parts are uneven) it builds up tension and has atmospheric chase scenes, but what truly makes this movie interesting are the characters. Chester MacFarland, smoothly played by Viggo Mortensen, carries the film by creating a dishonest, suave and confident man, who's paradoxically sometimes panicked and desperate, obviously haunted by his demons, but is never unlikeable. He isn't just a con artist trying to escape his problems, he isn't just a jealous husband afraid of loosing his wife to a younger man, he's mysterious in a Gatsby sort of way, we never really know his true emotions and goals, but we see a man pursuing his freedom and happiness.
Rydal (Oscar Isaac), appears to be the lead, the one the audience can identify with the most, he's a young American guide who scams his clients and enters Chester's life because he is tormented by the unresolved conflicts with his father which Chester reminds him of. When he discovers MacFarland is on the run for swindling and later for murder, he allows himself to get entangled in MacFarland's situation, intrigued by the man that represents what he might become if he doesn't change his ways. After helping Chester and his wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst) escape Athens, he begins to fall for the unfailing charm of Colette, a misled and misleading young woman trapped between the man she loves and the life she wants to live.
Without this intriguing trio and the stunning Mediterranean locations, The Two Faces of January would probably be easily forgettable as the plot is quite thin and borrows from too many of its predecessors to be original, but the ending, which one might call too neat, actually leaves you with lingering questions about human relationships. All of that said, I find myself with neither a strong dislike or like for the movie, as if it was missing a strong climax truly resolving the main point of interest: the conflict over Colette. And, I guess it's explained in the book, but why is it called The Two Faces of January?
Like my review? More like this at http://www.rebekahfieschi.com/movie-reviews/
Yes, it's a thriller and yes, it plays that role well (even though some parts are uneven) it builds up tension and has atmospheric chase scenes, but what truly makes this movie interesting are the characters. Chester MacFarland, smoothly played by Viggo Mortensen, carries the film by creating a dishonest, suave and confident man, who's paradoxically sometimes panicked and desperate, obviously haunted by his demons, but is never unlikeable. He isn't just a con artist trying to escape his problems, he isn't just a jealous husband afraid of loosing his wife to a younger man, he's mysterious in a Gatsby sort of way, we never really know his true emotions and goals, but we see a man pursuing his freedom and happiness.
Rydal (Oscar Isaac), appears to be the lead, the one the audience can identify with the most, he's a young American guide who scams his clients and enters Chester's life because he is tormented by the unresolved conflicts with his father which Chester reminds him of. When he discovers MacFarland is on the run for swindling and later for murder, he allows himself to get entangled in MacFarland's situation, intrigued by the man that represents what he might become if he doesn't change his ways. After helping Chester and his wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst) escape Athens, he begins to fall for the unfailing charm of Colette, a misled and misleading young woman trapped between the man she loves and the life she wants to live.
Without this intriguing trio and the stunning Mediterranean locations, The Two Faces of January would probably be easily forgettable as the plot is quite thin and borrows from too many of its predecessors to be original, but the ending, which one might call too neat, actually leaves you with lingering questions about human relationships. All of that said, I find myself with neither a strong dislike or like for the movie, as if it was missing a strong climax truly resolving the main point of interest: the conflict over Colette. And, I guess it's explained in the book, but why is it called The Two Faces of January?
Like my review? More like this at http://www.rebekahfieschi.com/movie-reviews/