Tell No One (2007) Synopsis:
Pediatric Alex Beck (François Cluzet), still devastated by the savage murder of his wife Margot (Marie-Josée Croze) in the early days of their marriage eight years ago, receives an anonymous email.
When he clicks on the link he sees a woman's face standing in a crowd and being filmed in real time - Margot's face. Is she still alive? And why does she instruct him to 'tell no one'?
Tell No One (2007) Movie Review:
Based on the Harlan Coben novel, this twisty thriller nicely avoids Hollywood formulae, keeping us gripped to the complicated story and characters. It does drift into French pretentiousness, but it's still remarkably well-made.
Alex and Margot (Cluzet and Croze) are childhood sweethearts whose marital bliss is shattered by an act of violence. Eight years later, Alex is still unable to cope with the loss of Margot. Then the discovery of new evidence points the cops in his direction, but the hot-headed young detective (Lefebvre) reaches a different conclusion than his obsessive senior officer (Berléand). Meanwhile, far too many people are after Alex for his family and friends to protect him for very long. And skeletons are about to tumble out of the closet.
This story is a big, complicated puzzle, and it's well-told by actor-director Canet, who adds real-life touches and character details that bring each scene to life with wit and energy. It takes a long time for things to start falling into place, and even then there are some slightly unsatisfying plot points. In this sense, the film feels somewhat indulgent; judicious cutting would have tightened it up. And despite some remarkable final twists, it ends exactly as we know it must.
The ensemble cast is terrific. Cluzet holds the film together with an urgent portrayal of a man on the run, desperate to prove his innocence and get to the bottom of a mystery that has consumed his whole life. Scott Thomas is also excellent as Alex's feisty sister-in-law and best friend. Baye adds some steeliness as his aggressive lawyer. And Dussollier is very good as the man who may hold the key to the conundrum.
It's terrific to see a thriller like this that so expertly avoids the cliches of the genre. Not only is it distinctly unlike a Hitchcock innocent-man thriller, but it's also never remotely sensationalistic like Hollywood movies. Canet achieves a remarkably realistic tone in the action scenes, with bone-crunching stunts and breathless violence. With some sharpening and a shorter running time, it could have been a minor classic.
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Tell No One (2007) review written by: Rich Cline
12th October, 2008 
