The suspenseful “Tell No One” may have you wondering if you've missed a clue or two along the way, but Guillaume Canet's film moves along at such a brisk, entertaining pace that you probably won't care.
This French adaptation of Harlan Coben's international best-selling novel (it sold more than 6 million copies in 27 languages) took home four Cesars (France's equivalent of the Oscars), including best director and best actor for Francois Cluzet.
Cluzet sympathetically plays pediatrician Alex Beck, who eight years earlier awoke from a three-day coma and learned that his wife, Margot (Marie-Josee Croze), had been murdered and her battered body cremated. The couple had been taking a late-night swim at a private lake when they were attacked, but the police never fully bought Alex's account, even though the murder was attributed to a serial killer with a similar M.O.
For eight years, Alex – who appears a decent sort (good with children) – has led a quiet life, missing his wife. Then on the eighth anniversary of Margot's murder, he gets a video e-mail showing a woman who appears to be his wife with a recent real-time stamp. The message warns: “Tell no one,” adding, “They're watching.”
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“Tell No One”
Rated: Not rated
When: Opens tomorrow (in French with English subtitles)
Running time: 2 hr., 5 min.
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At the same time, near the scene of Margot's murder, the police dig up the bodies of two men whose deaths they believe can be linked to Alex.
Margot's case is reopened, and Alex is suspect No. 1, but the doctor knows something else is afoot. While keeping it a secret, his attempts to find out who sent him the mysterious e-mail only make him more suspicious in the eyes of the police.
So he turns to his friend, Helene (played very coolly by Kristin Scott Thomas), for help. Helene, who is also the lover of his younger sister, champion horsewoman Anne (Marina Hands), arranges for a top-flight lawyer (Nathalie Baye) to handle his case.
But eventually, Alex runs (innocent guys wrongly accused always do, i.e. “The Fugitive”). He knows there were other suspicious deaths to be considered and that there are more people than just the police after him. This leads to a thrilling set piece as Alex tries to elude the law as he darts through speeding cars on the highway that rings Paris.
There are more nifty plot twists and turns than you can count. Some events are told in flashbacks, and some small details that turn out to be important go by quickly. (Most of this, obviously, shouldn't be revealed here.) However, there is a subtext to keep an eye on – about how far a parent will go to protect a child – that gives the film some weight and plays into the mystery.
But even when “Tell No One's” story gets a bit too convoluted for its own good, the cinematography, the acting and especially the action will keep you glued to the screen. After all, you can always crack open a bottle of good California wine to ponder the fine points of plot later on.
