The Two Faces of January

An old school, Hitchcockian style thriller from the writer behind Drive, The Two Faces of January commences with sexy, mysterious intrigue, but slowly dovetails into a soggy noodle. Shot against the glorious, sun-drenched Greek landscape by cinematographer Marcel Zyskind and boasting immaculate costume and set design befitting its 1960s period, January looks a million bucks, yet this can't cover up the fact the final hour is bland and devoid of tension. One of the finest (and underrated) actors of our generation, Oscar Isaac is once again astounding despite his failing surrounds, here portraying the smooth, enigmatic operator who gets in over his head when he witnesses a crime by an attractive American couple. As the wealthy tourists with a secret, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen are another major weakness, the duo sharing zero spark together and Mortensen in particular possessing all the charisma of a plank of wood. It's a noble directorial debut from screenwriter Hossein Amini, but remains a missed opportunity in a subgenre not visited nearly enough.