Ne le dis à personne
Feature Film | Thriller | France | French | 2h11m | Dir: Guillaume Canet | Scr: Guillaume Canet & Philippe Lefebvre | Novel: Harlan Coben | DP: Christophe Offenstein | Prod: Alain Attal | Mus: M | Ed: Hervé de Luze | PD: Philippe Chiffre | Cast: François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier, Kristin Scott Thomas, François Berléand, Nathalie Baye, Jean Rochefort, Marina Hands, Gilles Lellouche, Philippe Lefebvre
As contemporary mainstream thrillers go, Guillaume Canet’s decidedly satisfying and surprisingly affecting adaptation of Harlan Coben’s popular novel is about as good as they come; which isn’t to say that it is without its faults, as it certainly is not. Firstly, though by no means foremostly, there are enough plot holes to keep the pedants and keyboard warriors busy for months to come – though, having said that, most of them can just about be explained away, if only at something of a stretch. Secondly, and far more importantly – at least for me – there are two or three musical montages that really jar against the film’s overall aesthetic, which is generally surprisingly low-key. In fact, even the film’s one major action sequence, which eschews the usual pumping musical accompaniment in favour of somewhat more subdued scoring, proves pleasingly restrained, yet no less thrilling for the fact. The performances are all good, with Cluzet’s physical turn in the central role, playing a paediatrician who comes to believe that his murdered wife is in fact still alive, just as the police reopen the case eight years after the fact, making him the prime suspect in the process, being the predictable highlight. The screenplay – questionable plot holes aside – also dazzles with its labyrinthinely plotted tales of love, murder, and deception; whilst Offenstein’s photography proves quietly effective and the effects and stunt work exhilaratingly convincing. Quibbles aside, an excellent little thriller.
