A fairly good standalone film, but weak and shallow in comparison to its source material, Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name.
Mortensen is brilliant in the role he is given, despite it being removed from the Chester of Highsmith's work. The gradual transition in presentation and attitude perfectly encapsulates the spiralling of events around him. Dunst isn't given much to work with, but performs her part as the unfortunate spouse in tow well, it's a shame the character wasn't given wider motivations. Isaac plays a mostly new character but does so well, giving a range of emotions and contexts to adapt to.
The plot is simple to follow, all internal struggle is largely removed and the events that unfold give the aura of a low-intensity thriller. Its still clever in its way, but far from groundbreaking. The period in which the film is set allows for many visually appealing settings. Scenery is well matched with wardrobe, coupled with the use of lighting, the atmosphere matches the situation well.
Readers of the original book will be disappointed. Not only are the main characters' personalities and backstories different from the start, the dynamic between the two men is lost, key events are altered, and overall the plot is significantly diluted. Nearly all traces of any Greek characters are removed, particularly Nikos, who receives very little screentime and even then is changed into a far more suave counterfeiter. Motivations behind the binding of the trio are changed, and therefore lose a lot of depth into their wider development, and although everything couldn't be fit into a film, the clearer cut good guy/bad guy foundations for the film remove much of the interest.
Mortensen is brilliant in the role he is given, despite it being removed from the Chester of Highsmith's work. The gradual transition in presentation and attitude perfectly encapsulates the spiralling of events around him. Dunst isn't given much to work with, but performs her part as the unfortunate spouse in tow well, it's a shame the character wasn't given wider motivations. Isaac plays a mostly new character but does so well, giving a range of emotions and contexts to adapt to.
The plot is simple to follow, all internal struggle is largely removed and the events that unfold give the aura of a low-intensity thriller. Its still clever in its way, but far from groundbreaking. The period in which the film is set allows for many visually appealing settings. Scenery is well matched with wardrobe, coupled with the use of lighting, the atmosphere matches the situation well.
Readers of the original book will be disappointed. Not only are the main characters' personalities and backstories different from the start, the dynamic between the two men is lost, key events are altered, and overall the plot is significantly diluted. Nearly all traces of any Greek characters are removed, particularly Nikos, who receives very little screentime and even then is changed into a far more suave counterfeiter. Motivations behind the binding of the trio are changed, and therefore lose a lot of depth into their wider development, and although everything couldn't be fit into a film, the clearer cut good guy/bad guy foundations for the film remove much of the interest.