See "The Two Faces Of January" at the Durham Library this Thursday, March 5, at 1:30.

Movie Notes by Don Bourret

2014’s The Two Faces Of January is an old fashion thriller in the style and manner of Alfred Hitchcock. This should not be surprising as it is derived from a 1964 novel by Patricia Highsmith, another of whose novels Hitch made into his 50’s classic Strangers On A Train. Another of her novels inspired the Matt Damon thriller The Talented Mister Ripley.

In 1962 Athens American expat and tour guide Rydal hooks up with wealthy American tourists Chester and his young wife Colette. Although they know he is a bit of a scam artist, they take a shine to him and go out to dinner with him. The pleasant evening ends in unexpected violence however, and the three of them are soon on the run from authorities through Greece, Crete and finally Istanbul. To tell more would be a great disservice to you and the filmmakers. Let the surprises crash into you.

First-time director Hossein Amini has loaded his film with complex characters, marvelous locations, startling plot twists and striking visuals, particularly in a climactic chase sequence in an Istanbul bazaar. The film moves slowly but with ever-mounting tension. The characters constantly are doing surprising things, and you never are sure what is around the next bend, where this thing is headed. I liken it to a slow-burning fuse punctuated by moments of shocking violence.

The three principals are superb. Chester is Viggo Mortensen, perhaps best known as the King (aka Stryder) in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Colette is Kirsten Dunst, known world wide as Mary Jane Watson in the Spiderman franchise. Rydal is Oscar Isaac, who had title role in the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis. Their performances make you care about these people even as you wonder if you should.

This is grand entertainment and well worth your time. But you also have to wonder what Hitch might have done with it.