*If you'd like a more visual experience you can watch my video review here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ba07G0FqI
'The Two Faces of January' is Written and directed by Hossein Amini and based on the Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name. What 'Drive' scribe Hossein Amini gives us with his directorial début is a suspenseful trill ride very much in the vein of Hitchcock films including a 60's setting and European locations much like 'To Catch A Theif.' Starring the incredibly talented and underrated Viggo Mortenson, up and comer Oscar Isaac and the lovely Kirsten Dunst; this is a film to check out.
A couple of scam artists (Mortenson and Dunst) are in Greece on a romantic getaway. While visiting the Parthenon they become acquainted with a tour guide (Isaac) who also dabbles in the art of scamming. Unfortunately the couple accidentally kills a private detective who is trying to extort them and must get new identities and go on the run. They are able to do so with the aide of the tour guide but this is a world where there a consequences for every action and paranoia around each corner.
Much like many of the films of Alfred Hitchcock 'The Two Faces of January' features characters that are very flawed and not always likeable. Mortenson's character is scamming investors, Dunst is enjoying the wealth from said scams while also using her sexuality to get help from Oscar Isaac's character who is stealing money from his customers...and yet somehow even with their despicable character traits you can't help but feel for each of these characters and hope that they succeed. There's also a sense of Greek myth and tragedy in the film and why not, it is set in Greece!
Hossein Amini takes various influences from Hitchcock films with a Bernard Herrmann like score by Alberto Inglesias and several scenes that would very much fit in a film by the master of suspense. The film also has gorgeous cinematography by Marcel Zyskind who also takes several notes from Hitchcock films and the fact that this film was shot digitally and I thought it was film is quite remarkable (I usually have no trouble telling film and digital apart) but the Arri Alexa has really been bridging the gap recently. With great art direction and costume design not only is it a tightly plotted suspense thriller but also a visually stunning film.
Hossein Amini has crafted a great film with tonnes of excitement and suspense but most importantly consequences, characters and 'set up' which a lot of films (especially blockbusters) haven't been doing lately or if they have they haven't been doing it well... From it's 60's setting to it's Bernard Herrmann like score and ethically ambiguous characters, Hossein Amini's directorial début is a film I believe Alfred Hitchcock himself would be pretty damn proud of.
4 out of 5 Stars (almost 4 1/2)
