Director: Guillaume Canet (Love Me if You Dare, Rivals)
Writers: Guillaume Canet, Philippe Lefebvre
Novel: Harlan Coben
Producer: Alain Attal
Starring: François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier, Kristin Scott Thomas, François Berléand
MPAA Rating: NR
Running time: 125 min
Country of origin: France

Walking into the theater as proud as could be with my free screener pass to see Ricky Gervais’ new comedy, Ghost Town, a full 35 minutes early to ensure a good seat, I was quite dismayed to find that the theater was already sold out and they could only fit me in if I agreed to sit on a folding chair in the back of the theater; which I was not. Luckily for me I know this guy who works at the theater and he got me into another movie for the same price = free. I’m so glad the movie I was planning to see was sold out as I’m sure Mr. Gervais and Mr. Kinnear could not’ve held a candle to the movie I got to see instead: Tell No One; or as it’s known in it’s native country, Ne le dis à personne.

The films starts with a young couple enjoying an evening out at a secluded beach in the woods. After making love on a raft the wife swims back to the shore. As the husband (Alexandre) waits, he hears a muffled scream and then his wife yell his name. He darts into the water to find the trouble. Just as he makes it to the water’s edge, he’s hit hard with a blunt instrument by an unseen assailant and knocked out cold.

Flash forward eight years and we find Alexandre living a somewhat back to normal life after coping with the loss of his wife. He’s practicing medicine and enjoying time with friends. Then one day he receives a mysterious email with a video attachment depicting his wife alive and well in a subway station. Is this real or is it a trick of some kind? This development coupled with the coincidental timing of more deaths near the very same beach where the couple was accosted eight years prior, force the police to re-open some past investigations and Alexandre is caught in the middle as a suspect and a man desperately trying to find the truth.

A remarkably well made film in both direction and story development. Paying close attention is essential however as the story takes some quick turns on the audience quite frequently. Not twists exactly, just plot developments that may require the viewer to remember character names that were only alluded to before, but of whom were never actually seen. Because different families are used within the story, several of these character’s names are similar and have the same last name. Couple all of this with the French origin and the sheer number of characters and it may throw some viewers for a loop from time to time.

Because of this depth, there is a bit of needlessness to confound things even further. At 125 minutes, there are a few things that could be trimmed away from Tell No One to move the pace of the film along a bit more briskly. Constant flashback sequences to the couple’s childhood for example seems a bit tedious and pointless. It ties the drama together a bit at the end with some neat poignancy, but ultimately ends being about ten minutes of completely useless information.

Most of the music in the film is written and performed by someone list in the credits as only “- M -” (yes, including the hyphens. Not an artist easily searchable online) and is invigoratingly smooth and impactful. Reminiscent of the smoother sounds of Jeff Buckley, the music is atmospheric and beautiful and used skillfully by the filmmakers to enrich the story. Beyond this score, is the use of a couple of well-known pop songs. One interesting note is that one of the songs (I won’t give away which one) is actually a plot device. A story-telling tactic I can’t remember seeing (or hearing) before.

Besides being a bit too long for what it wants to accomplish, which is a minor gripe, my major gripe would be the way the mystery unfolds. Running with the picture and grasping on to the plot for survival is a fun trip, but having the mystery revealed to us in one long monologue is a bit of a cop-out. I like to try and figure things out as clues are slowly given to us and the audience is able to slowly unravel a mystery. Here, we’re forced to sit on the director’s lap and have a bedtime story read to us, so to speak, that explains everything point by point (the same major complaint (one of many) that I had for Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 12). I could have used a bit more ingenuity for the reveal.

Despite a couple of complaints, a real good time can be had with Tell No One if you’re alert and ready for a good mystery with a couple of fast paced sequences. A memorable foot chase that will be difficult to top from other films – including anything Hollywood might have to offer. The style is a bit “Hitchcockian” but not quite with the same amount of finesse. Again, think a really smart version of The Fugitive. A man on the run, but instead of diving off dams and train station shoot-outs, we examine plot details and characters that run deep and twisted. In other words, equally as entertaining for a slightly more mature mind.

Links:
IMDb profile
Official Site
Flixster Profile for Tell No One