The Two Faces of January
Dir: Hossein Amini
2014
***
Hossein Amini's first film is visually stunning, in that sense it is an impressive debut. It's a bit Hitchcockian, has a nice noir thriller feeling about it that is obviously influenced by the greats of the late 1940s, early 1950s. It's only ever so slightly let down by the performances, Oscar Isaac is fantastic, long may he rein but Kirsten Dunst brings nothing to the film and Viggo Mortensen has been better. It feels like a Patricia Highsmith story but Amini has focused and used the beautiful locations to his advantage instead of concentrating on the story at hand. The last section of the film seems rushed and a bit clumsy and non of the shocks are particularly shocking. Good but Patricia Highsmith deserves better.