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Secret in Their Eyes (2015) poster

CAST
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR
NICOLE KIDMAN
ZOE GRAHAM
MICHAEL KELLY
JOE COLE
ALFRED MOLINA
DEAN NORRIS
JULIA ROBERTS

BASED ON THE FILM “THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES” WRITTEN BY
JUAN JOSE CAMPANELLA
EDUARDO SACHERI

SCREENPLAY BY
BILLY RAY

PRODUCED BY
MATT JACKSON
MARK JOHNSON

DIRECTED BY
BILLY RAY

GENRE
CRIME
MYSTERY
THRILLER

RATED
AUS:M
UK:NA
USA:PG-13

RUNNING TIME
111 MIN

SECRET IN THEIR EYES (2015)

Over-performed and clumsy in structure, Hollywood remake Secret in Their Eyes boasts a superstar pedigree but features none of the mystery, passion or innovation that the Argentinian original had in spades.

There is nothing wrong with remakes. Many a great film – The Departed, Scarface, The Thing – are indeed remakes of great films, and many more will be made. Yet there is no denying that the ratio between good and bad firmly belongs in the realm of the latter. The remake of exquisite Argentine thriller The Secret in the Their Eyes (or El Secreto De Sus Ojos) proves just that.

When The Secret in the Their Eyes won that coveted Oscar for Best Foreign Film (beating out stiff competition in The White Ribbon and The Prophet), there was no doubt that a remake would be in the works. But surely no one thought it could be this, well, inept. Not with an acting trio of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts attached. And certainly not with respected writer/director Billy Ray (Breach) navigating the way.

Yet Secret in Their Eyes (apparently English speaking just cannot handle “The”) is just that: inept.

Its story of former FBI agent Ray (Ejiofor) and his attempt to solve the 13 year old murder of the daughter of his partner Jess (Roberts), while dealing with the long undeclared love for his District Attorney supervisor Claire (Kidman), is one filled with much promise yet little payoff.

Billy Ray’s decision to transition the original movies’ “Dirty Wars” setting (a period of state terrorism during 1970s Argentina), to post 9/11 America (where averting future terrorist attacks on American soil is the highest priority), is one that works as a device to drive the plot and add some stakes to the proceedings.

Yet the natural, almost hypnotic pacing that made the original such an engrossing watch is replaced by a forcible, almost desperate attempt to garner a response from its audience.

This is especially felt in the over the top acting of its cast. Ejiofor (whose excellent performance in 12 Years a Slave should have won the Oscar) hams it up to such a degree that the empathy needed to stick by his characters side is replaced instead with annoyance, hardy the trait of a successful protagonist. Kidman is all smoulder yet little substance as Eljiofor’s love interest, and Roberts equates delivering a “powerful performance” by going sans make up.

Worst yet is Ray’s handling of the films structure, with the parallel storylines (separated by 13 years) linked via clumsy editing that effects the films flow as both a procedural and a drama.

The Argentinian original is known for its filmmaking prowess, with excellent editing and camera work creating a film filled with visual delights. At its best, this American remake is a glorified and overlong CSI episode.

 

**1/2

 

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