By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Guillame Canet
Starring: François Cluzet | Kristen Scott Thomas | Marie-Josée Croze | Nathalie Baye
Original language title: Ne le dis à personne
Country: france
Year: 2008
Running time: 125
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362225/
Bruce says: “TELL NO ONE is the first of Harlan Coben’s novels to be adapted for the screen. This novel is not from Coben’s famous mystery series featuring sports agent Myron Bolitar. A film version of DEAL BREAKER, which is a Myron Bolitar novel, will be released in 2008.
“Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) was happily married to his childhood sweetheart Margot (Marie-Josée Croze) when she was murdered by a serial killer while they were swimming at Lac Charmaine, a small private lake. Details of the murder were never revealed and some mysteries persist about some of the supposed events of that fateful day, most noticeably how did Alexandre get knocked into the water unconscious yet end up in a heap on the dock. He should have drowned.
“Eight years later some new developments occur. Two bodies are found in a grave near the scene of Margot’s murder. Alexandre receives mysterious emails linking him to a website that has surveillance shots of an airport security station. One of the travelers going through the security check is Margot. With the help of his lawyer (Nathalie Baye), his sister (Marina Hands) and his sister’s girlfriend (Kristen Scott Thomas) he begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
“The police however begin to suspect that Alexandre was really Margot’s killer. When the woman he has been seeing is murdered he is the prime suspect. Alexandre works at a pediatric clinic and has saved the life of a small child whose volatile father Bruno (Gilles Lellouche) is deeply indebted to him. Bruno enlists his crew of tough guys to help Alexandre escape from the clutches of the police. TELL NO ONE has a very good chase scene and more than a few hair raising moments.
“Guillame Canet does a great job overall. The film is nicely made although it is strangely sentimental, beyond what one would expect from a mystery. The soundtrack includes Otis Reading’s ‘For Your Precious Love,’ Jeff Buckley’s ‘Lilac Wine,’ and U2’s ‘With or Without You,’ all of which are used to good effect. François Cluzet (well known in France but not in America) bears an uncanny resemblance to Dustin Hoffman, which take getting used to. Cluzet and the entire supporting cast are all excellent. Too many characters place heavy demands on the viewer. Excessive time is spent worrying about who’s who rather than concentrating on what’s what. 4 cats
“TELL NO ONE screened at IFC as part of Lincoln Center’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Festival”