I think I was victim of overhyping with this one. Tell No One has had an incredibly warm reception in America. While its not entirely undue, Tell No One is simply a well-made mystery flick, and nothing more.
Alexandre Beck has just graduated medical school, and along with his lovely wife and childhood friend Margot, is finally ready to start his life. Tragedy strikes, and his wife is brutally murdered while he is left as a suspect. Eight years later, his name has been long cleared but the discovery of two more bodies has re-opened the investigation, with Beck as the prime suspect. When he receives an email showing real-time video of his wife, alive and well, he must uncover the truth about what happened eight years ago.
While Beck is clearly the main character, Tell No One is almost an ensemble mystery. There's an abundance of characters, although few are colorful. There's Margot's police captain father. There's a shady operative who never really gets much of a payoff. There's a sympathethic detective with OCD. There's Beck's sister and her lesbian lover. There's a street thug who loves his son. And there's a senator who maintains a somewhat ominous presence over the movie.
The mystery itself is rather involving and complicated. Clues are definitely dropped throughout if you pay attention, although its by no means obvious. The ending is nice, but can't help but feel a little soap-operatic. Some of the chase scenes have real energy, especially one involving crossing a highway. There are times where it seems overly complicated, and it sometimes approaches boredom at the beginning. The main villain is almost out of left-field though, which is the biggest problem.
Cluzet is an excellent lead, channeling Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man (not to mention looking exactly like him). He is always sympathetic in the very classic way, something we don't see too often in modern mysteries. Dussollier is also excellent as Margot's father, who bookends the film.
Tell No One is a very effective mystery film, but it is at heart a genre film. Why it is so hyped up, I don't know, but it is definitely a solid genre film. The language barrier may cause some viewers who are impatient to give up on the film halfway through, as it requires attention to detail. If you speak French, can stand dubs (unlike me, I'm subtitles all the way) or just like a good mystery, you'll like Tell No One.
Oh, and the soundtrack is very awkward. I almost thought that it was changed over for the English release, but nope, even the French were subjected to these overly-obvious English songs. Granted, maybe in French, keeping the soundtrack in a foreign language made it more mysterious, the same way a song that seems heavy-handed yet is in French would suit an English film. Either way, it doesn't work well for the English audience.
Alexandre Beck has just graduated medical school, and along with his lovely wife and childhood friend Margot, is finally ready to start his life. Tragedy strikes, and his wife is brutally murdered while he is left as a suspect. Eight years later, his name has been long cleared but the discovery of two more bodies has re-opened the investigation, with Beck as the prime suspect. When he receives an email showing real-time video of his wife, alive and well, he must uncover the truth about what happened eight years ago.
While Beck is clearly the main character, Tell No One is almost an ensemble mystery. There's an abundance of characters, although few are colorful. There's Margot's police captain father. There's a shady operative who never really gets much of a payoff. There's a sympathethic detective with OCD. There's Beck's sister and her lesbian lover. There's a street thug who loves his son. And there's a senator who maintains a somewhat ominous presence over the movie.
The mystery itself is rather involving and complicated. Clues are definitely dropped throughout if you pay attention, although its by no means obvious. The ending is nice, but can't help but feel a little soap-operatic. Some of the chase scenes have real energy, especially one involving crossing a highway. There are times where it seems overly complicated, and it sometimes approaches boredom at the beginning. The main villain is almost out of left-field though, which is the biggest problem.
Cluzet is an excellent lead, channeling Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man (not to mention looking exactly like him). He is always sympathetic in the very classic way, something we don't see too often in modern mysteries. Dussollier is also excellent as Margot's father, who bookends the film.
Tell No One is a very effective mystery film, but it is at heart a genre film. Why it is so hyped up, I don't know, but it is definitely a solid genre film. The language barrier may cause some viewers who are impatient to give up on the film halfway through, as it requires attention to detail. If you speak French, can stand dubs (unlike me, I'm subtitles all the way) or just like a good mystery, you'll like Tell No One.
Oh, and the soundtrack is very awkward. I almost thought that it was changed over for the English release, but nope, even the French were subjected to these overly-obvious English songs. Granted, maybe in French, keeping the soundtrack in a foreign language made it more mysterious, the same way a song that seems heavy-handed yet is in French would suit an English film. Either way, it doesn't work well for the English audience.