The Two Faces of January

Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: September 26, 2014

6.3	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 60 Ratings

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zurnzurnJan 11, 2015

The writing doesn't quite fully flesh out the characters, or make us care enough, for the suspense to be meaningful. Competently shot and has more promise in the beginning than the end.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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tvnewsguidoJan 16, 2015

Drags a bit.
It is a long leisurely stroll of a film.
The performances are fine. It reminded me of "The Talented Mr. Ripley" but not as good. If you like the specific period (early 60s Mediterranean) or movies about American ex-pats youDrags a bit.
It is a long leisurely stroll of a film.

The performances are fine. It reminded me of "The Talented Mr. Ripley" but not as good. If you like the specific period (early 60s Mediterranean) or movies about American ex-pats you might give it a try.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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nicholasbertSep 27, 2014

As it often happens, this film features top notch cinematography and all-in-all good acting, but lacks the plot elements to make it completely intriguing, given the genre. In fact, there were a few flaws that impeded thorough enjoyment:As it often happens, this film features top notch cinematography and all-in-all good acting, but lacks the plot elements to make it completely intriguing, given the genre. In fact, there were a few flaws that impeded thorough enjoyment: Isaac's character is just too creepy and too little mysterious, and Kirsten Dunst is a bit gray, almost stuck in a film school persona; the mixture between mystery and thriller leans well towards thriller, while failing to deliver a thriller's thrills. Also, the psychological profiling isn't handled very carefully, with Mortensen going from a "Oh-what-have-I-done" kind of guy to a ruthless, cold calculator in a matter of minutes.

On the other hand, the consistent choice of colours and the sandy settings provide you with a wonderful thing to look at, and as I said the actors are good. Too bad for the suspense, which really isn't there unless you fish it.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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TyranianApr 14, 2019

Some decent acting and visuals but a tedious and confusing plot at times. Snorable.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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quincytheodoreMar 15, 2015

Almost resembling a documentary show of stranded tourists from Nat Geo channel, The Two Faces of January has a deceptively quaint atmosphere for a thriller. Characters are manipulative, morally ambiguous and have pathology tendency forAlmost resembling a documentary show of stranded tourists from Nat Geo channel, The Two Faces of January has a deceptively quaint atmosphere for a thriller. Characters are manipulative, morally ambiguous and have pathology tendency for deceit. However, it's irritatingly slow on creating tension and the script is rather thin even for the average runtime of the movie. The flamboyant visual is just barely enough to keep interest till the end.

Chester (Viggo Mortensen) and Collette (Kirsten Dunst) are a couple who harbor some secrets. They take a vacation at Athens, but are eventually caught in an unfortunate incident and find themselves in a dire situation. Accepting the help of local con artist, Rydal (Oscar Isaac) they attempt to flee Greece. The movie has the acting department covered, a good trait since it's almost exclusively featuring these three characters as they clash personalities.

It soon becomes clear that the seemingly happy couple are far from honest, even with each other. Situation escalates as Chester and Rydal collide, more than a couple of times. Using subtle cues it produces a sense of insecurity as the characters are trapped in unknown places, with slightly untrustworthy company, no less.

The pace as it starts and ends are good, but it falters about halfway. Trivial banters keep the momentum from reaching its peak, furthermore the film uses too much of jealousy and dissatisfied couple tricks. It may build the characters, but the film roams into telenovela realm at some points, not the direction mystery thriller would optimize upon.

Cinematography fares better, with the heavy European vista it's certainly has a different outlook. The retro vibe also helps, there's a distinct feel of classic detective nuance at play here. The mysteries, and also the latter act for that matter, are not highly captivating. The film serves as a crime drama in healthy does, but is not ambitious enough for complex con.

Though it has charming cast and foreign allure, the slow pace might deter audience from taking part in this exotic trip.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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beingryanjudeSep 28, 2014

A suspenseful look at a not-so-traditional few days in Greece during the 1960s. The Two Faces of January has a certain aesthetic which draws you in. Most of the time, you are craving for more.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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JLuis_001Sep 6, 2017

Elegant and entertaining, The Two Faces Of January lives up to its plot, perhaps the mistakes in the script were not on purpose, but hey subtract transcendence, beyond that this is a quite entertaining thriller, with honesty it is worthy ofElegant and entertaining, The Two Faces Of January lives up to its plot, perhaps the mistakes in the script were not on purpose, but hey subtract transcendence, beyond that this is a quite entertaining thriller, with honesty it is worthy of your time.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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amheretojudgeDec 25, 2018

An Unexpected Detour.

The Two Faces Of January Amini's mysterious yet one dimensional equation among his three dimensional characters is a calculative risk that works as a madhouse entertainment but is a hollow arthouse merchandise. ThisAn Unexpected Detour.

The Two Faces Of January

Amini's mysterious yet one dimensional equation among his three dimensional characters is a calculative risk that works as a madhouse entertainment but is a hollow arthouse merchandise. This film-noir style espionage themed tale is a huge triumph on terms of its linearity and simplicity. Unfortunately, Amini is either unaware of this hidden gold or fails to milk it out in the narration. The adapted screenplay is tightly gripping and far away from being layered, the essence that deepens the gist of the tale in the book, is shucked out by fabricating it into a 60s style cutlery, hairstyle or fashioned clothes.

The brief periods where the morale crisis of good and bad puts our characters into a signified breathtaking drama, is clearly scoffed out to match the pace and clock it at an early hour. Such an unreasonable hurried take on this complex tale ironically bites the makers back to them. The production has earned a cast of such high caliber and it pays off more than enough for them. Mortensen as a rotten millionaire is the ringmaster of this flipping circus, his drunken persona sobers up the film whenever it fumbles on storytelling.

Another similar shady character of Isaac is a challenge to Mortensen, he manages to keep raising the bar till the last frame. Often or not, female character in such genre holds most of the cards, and holding onto all such uncertain maps Dunst is convincingly delivering to the tale. Personally, the first act felt much more enthralling to me than the second one, since the breakfast and dinner table conversations among these three characters keeps you at the brisk of your speculative emotion. The Two Faces Of January in the end turns out to be a familiar face, striking horn to horn on screen for power and emotions, it falls on mediocrity.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021

This is quite a tense sinister film, with constant spooky instrumental stringed music played in the background to accentuate this. There are a fair number of scenes which are very dimly lit and so I found it a little difficult to figure outThis is quite a tense sinister film, with constant spooky instrumental stringed music played in the background to accentuate this. There are a fair number of scenes which are very dimly lit and so I found it a little difficult to figure out exactly what was going on but I guess you could say it adds to the mystery of it. This film definitely has a classic feel to it, which made me think back to old gangster/fraud/crime films of the early to mid 20th century. The plot did seem to be quite detailed, even though I found it a bit hard to follow, what with some noticeably rather undecipherable dialogue at times and the dark lighting making some scenes seem rather chaotic and a bit disorientating, as I say. This film is very much about the characters and character development in general, with the viewer playing the role of a distant PI or detective, I suppose, trying to second guess the eventual outcome, identify any fake characters or moles and so on. Its fairly engrossing, with a strong mystery element to it but I have to say it didn't entirely appeal to me personally. I think the problem with me personally, in relation to this film, is that I'm so easily distracted that I accidentally miss perhaps slightly more subtle but yet important plot details, while briefly looking away from the screen. Also, as I say, yes this is a genuinely rather sinister and mysterious film but I think it may have suffered a bit from being too mysterious and unclear...perhaps? I have nothing against stylish films and undoubtedly this is one of them and the acting is pretty top notch, I couldn't help but feel it was a film that had a fair amount of thought put into it but it didn't really 'work' for me, as I felt confused and the various plot twists (of which there are, as I hint, numerous) only confused me further.

I think this film will appeal to some and it certainly does have an audience but it won't suit everyone. I would say that fans of other stylised crime/thriller/mystery films including the Oceans films (Oceans 11, Oceans 12 etc.) and The Talented Mr. Ripley may well enjoy this.

Time wise, this film has a running time of an hour and a half, so it isn't especially long. Another thing I should probably mention, is that given this film is set overseas, in non-English speaking countries, there are many scenes featuring subtitles, with relatively fast dialogue so you certainly have to stay glued to the screen (and a fairly good/quick reader) to keep track of things.

No, personally I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this film, although I'm sure it'll have its fans. I found it to be quite stylish, fairly engrossing and certainly with a good mysterious element to it but I also found it to be somehow hard to follow entirely, the subtitles were a bit off-putting and the low light in many scenes I found a nuisance and hindered me fully grasping going on but it is a pretty atmospheric film, it just isn't really 'my cup of tea'. As I mentioned previously, I imagine if you were/are particularly keen on the 'Oceans' film or/and 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' then you may well enjoy this but personally, I saw it very much as an average, middle of the road type film I'm afraid.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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