海角大神

Skip to footer

'The Two Faces of January': The noir movie has an unsettling plot

( PG-13 ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

Director Hossein Amini understands dread is a dish best served slow.

|
Courtesy Magnolia Pictures
Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac and Kirsten Dunst in 'The Two Faces of January,' a Magnolia Pictures release.
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

When it comes to movie adaptations of her books, the late mystery master Patricia Highsmith was singularly fortunate: 鈥淪trangers on a Train,鈥� 鈥淧urple Noon,鈥� 鈥淎n American Friend,鈥� and 鈥淭he Talented Mr. Ripley,鈥� to name only the most famous.聽

The latest success story is 鈥淭he Two Faces of January,鈥� from her 1964 novel, which opens in Athens and stars Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst as a shady married couple, and Oscar Isaac (so good in 鈥淚nside Llewyn Davis鈥�) as an American expatriate con man who bilks tourists. This trio comes together in typically unsettling Highsmithian fashion, and somehow the scorching Grecian sunlight only intensifies the noirishness of it all. Hossein Amini, who wrote the screenplays for 鈥淭he Wings of the Dove鈥� and 鈥淒rive,鈥� makes his directorial debut, and he understands that dread is a dish best served slow. Grade: B+ (Rated PG-13 for some violence, language, and smoking.)

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines 鈥� with humanity. Listening to sources 鈥� with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That鈥檚 Monitor reporting 鈥� news that changes how you see the world.
QR Code to 'The Two Faces of January': The noir movie has an unsettling plot
Read this article in
/The-Culture/Movies/2014/0926/The-Two-Faces-of-January-The-noir-movie-has-an-unsettling-plot
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
/subscribe