Director: Hossein Amini
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac
Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 96 minutes
Special Features: The bonus features on the DVD are substantial and, on top of the great bloopers and deleted scenes, there are numerous interviews and featurettes with cast and crew that each look at the many different elements involved in bringing this film together, not least of which was the incredible influence of Patricia Highsmith, the woman who wrote the book on which the film is based.
Based on the book by Patricia Highsmith, THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY is a dark and beautiful thriller about a tour guide who befriends a wealthy American couple, only to get caught up in their criminal activity.
With much of the film focused on these three central characters, it was imperative that the casting be on point and they have certainly done well in choosing Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen as the couple and Oscar Isaac as the tour guide. The three actors bring great depth to this incredibly complex story where the lines between good and bad guy are constantly shifting. None of the three are wholly innocent so it makes it difficult to find one character you want to be OK and in that dynamic lies the greatest strength in this story. All the characters are flawed which raises the constant question of just who is playing whom. Full of jealousy and betrayal, they play off each other beautifully, creating both nervous and sexual tension in equal measure.
THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY is a chilling thriller with a real noir feel. The pacing is superb and the story really builds to a big dramatic final act. Yet it is never overplayed and much is left to your imagination or played behind closed doors so you can figure out for yourself just what motivates each of them.
Set against the gorgeous backdrop of 1960s Athens and with an enchanting cast, THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY is stylish in every sense of the word – a sumptuous, superb thriller, captivating to the last frame.
[usr=4] THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY is digitally available from 8th September., and on DVD and Blu-ray from 15th September.
