Ne le dis à personne (2006) Reviews

• Tell everyone about Tell No One.

  come2whereimfrom2007-06-28

  Based on the best selling novel by Harlan Coben this is how a thriller should be made. If you thought Jack Bauer had bad days wait till you meet Dr. Alex Beck (played superbly by Francois Cluzet) the film starts with him along with his wife spending sometime by a lake when she and then he are attacked, she is murdered and he is put into a coma. Skip eight years into the future and although never forgetting his wife's memory he has to a certain extent rebuilt his life. Then things start to turn, when two bodies are discovered buried near the lake and certain evidence suggest a link to Alex and the unsolved case of his murdered wife, suddenly it looks like he is in the frame, again. Then Alex begins to receive e-mails from an anonymous source at first but which seem to be coming from his wife, could she still be alive? And if so what the hells been going on? At 2hrs 11mins this isn't by any means a short film but it is handled so well by director Guillaume Canet that not once did I even notice the time, from the moment the story hooks you it never lets go right up to the end. As Alex starts to dig deeper and deeper to try and uncover the truth you are with him all the way discovering things as he does and when the whole thing finally unfolds it really is quite breathtaking. This film for me had everything, a brilliant script, a seasoned cast, twists and turns, Jeff Buckley's 'lilac wine' used to amazing effect (you will know what I mean when you see it) stunning cinematography, complex subplots that never once get too confusing, it truly is one of the most enjoyable and intelligent films I've seen for a long time.

• edge of your seat

  gsygsy2007-06-15

  Excellent film. I'd never heard of the book it's based on. The movie does have the kind of complex characters that are more associated with novels than with cinema. It's Hitchcockian to some extent - its premise is a classic "wrong-man" scenario, with suspense, humour and chase sequences. But the de rigeur romantic element here is, for the most part, tinged with a strange melancholy , and it's this that gives the film such an unusual atmosphere. Leading man François Cluzet is probably weary of being compared to Dustin Hoffman, but the fact is there is more than a passing resemblance. Nevertheless, Cluzet is very much his own man, and is as good, if not better, than the Hoffman of, say, 'Marathon Man', which inevitably comes to mind as one watches Cluzet taking to his heels in the breathless, breathtaking chase sequence. Although Cluzet carries the movie, the rest of the cast, which contains a number of very distinguished French actors, is first-rate. The plot is full of twists and turns, and the story-telling full of time-jumps, so you really need to concentrate. I'll need to get the DVD to check I understood it right. All in all, it's an excellent edge-of-your-seat thriller: a splendid, somewhat scary, night out at the movies.

• Tell No One/Ne le dis à personne (2006) review ****

  coolbabeholls2007-06-19

  Guillaume Canet's thriller opens on one of those naturalistic dinner party scenes: all glasses clinking and laughter and dialogue just a pitch below hearing. Yet this is a misleading beginning for a film that progresses into a thoroughly surprising and superior tale of a husband's desperate search for his seemingly dead wife. Canet executes the set-up for his tale beautifully, placing his couple stark naked, lakeside, and under the moonlight to emphasize the sheer indulgence of their love. Then with little dialogue he changes the tone from romanticism, to blinding horror as Alexandre (Francois Cluzet) hears a scream and tries in vain to save his wife Margot (Josee Croze) but is beaten over the head by her attacker. The casting of this couple was crucial as for all its twists and turns what follows is essentially their love story; and neither Cluzet nor Croze disappoint-the latter possessing a perfect vulnerable quality (akin to Naomi Watts in 'King Kong'). However, it is to Cluzet that we owe such an absorbing tale of grief and that false friend: memory. As we flash forward eight years he conveys sometimes only through his eyes the ever-present grief ready to resurface as soon as his wife's name is mentioned. And, this being a thriller her name is mentioned pretty quickly in the form of an email, plunging the audience into a taut whodunit/what really happened/who's hiding something tale, the answer being of course everyone. And what a terrific supporting cast we are treated with: Margot's father (Andre Dussollier) effortlessly conveys equal parts frustration and resolute duty; while one cut to Jean Rochefort's brooding and wrinkled face alerts the audience to all the pain of his past. Kristin Scott Thomas is possibly even more captivating in French and her poise and cheekbones seem to be a natural marriage with the language and Parisian backdrop. . Canet uses this midsummer Paris to his full advantage to turn up the heat on his fevered search, notably in a touching scene where Alex is racing through the sweltering streets with a giant dog. "An innocent man" declares Alex's lawyer "does not run". (What-has she not seen 'The Fugitive'?) In any case thank goodness in this circumstance he does as these provide the most compelling scenes in which even Alex crossing a motorway becomes a thing of beauty. What keeps us gripped though, is that we actually care about these characters and their fate-about what really happened that night (which is possibly why I put up with a slightly indulgent confession scene), and despite the fact that this thriller utterly surpassed most of the usual Hollywood offerings; I found myself craving what Tinsel Town does best: a happy ending. **** 4/5

• I'm passionate about this movie, it's extraordinary.

  jennaawest2007-06-28

  This movie is extremely engaging, well-acted, detailed, moving, thrilling, exciting and satisfying to watch. The stakes get higher and higher as the plot unfolds. What is so unexpected is the many facets the film has, it's not told on one-level there is a mixture of comedy and tragedy that is totally charming and believable. There is a great sense of involvement that gets the viewer attached to the characters and the unique situation that presents itself. It's a total roller- coaster of a movie that has you on the edge of your seat. An extraordinary story that is interestingly told. I've never felt the desire to write a comment on a movie before so the fact that I've taken the time to do it says a lot about the power of it's content. I really recommend this film, it takes you on a journey that divulges secrets beautifully as the story unravels. I left the film crying with a mixture of joy and sadness.

• Canet at Coben's height !

  raphael882006-11-18

  I read the masterly novel "Tell no one" by Harlan Coben and the movie by Guillaume Canet didn't disappoint me. And I want to precise that I'm very critical with novel's adaptations when I've read the book. At first, I was surprised that a novel as great as this one become a French movie and not a Hollywood production. But I was "disappointed in good" (déçu en bien), as we say in Switzerland. Canet respected very well Coben's work and the cast is absolutely excellent ! François Cluzet (with a resemblance with Dustin Hoffman) is a perfect Dr Beck. Kristin Scott-Thomas, André Dussolier (can be a naughty character too), Jean Rochefort and the others are great as well. Finally a really great movie - the best French movie I've seen, I think - as thrilling as the book ! "Ne le dis à personne" equals "Tell no one". Notice that the man who follows Beck in the station is Harlan Coben himself.