The crime novels of Chandler and Hammett laid the foundation for American film noir, with their veritable list of eclectic characters and convoluted narratives, filled with enough edge-of-seat twists and turns to keep viewers attached from the retina. Along the same cinematic vein lies director Guilamme Canet’s gripping new thriller Tell No One, which through economy of imagery and swift, expert direction keeps this sweltering murder mystery at a cool and succinct two hours length.
Alex Beck (François Cluzet) is an amiable pediatrician madly in love with his childhood sweetheart and wife Margot (Marie-Josée Croze, Diving Bell) who in the course of the exposition is violently murdered during one of their many nostalgic visits to a beautiful and private lakeside getaway. The bulk of the film is set eight years after the incident, when pipeline work around Lake Charmaine exhumes two bodies belonging to the purported murderers thought to have fled after the killing. On one of the bodies police find the key to a safety deposit box containing a bloodied hunting rifle and photographs of a domestically abused Margot. The news brings the many holes in the old and dusty criminal case to light and Alex, who hasn’t yet gotten over his wife’s untimely death, thrusts himself into the role of self-prescribed detective. He immediately becomes the primary suspect, believed to have been after Margot’s life insurance policy, making the mission to solve the murders himself even more pressing. All the while he begins receiving cryptic emails containing surveillance footage of Margot alive and well, and messages like “TELL NO ONE,” and “WE ARE BEING WATCHED.” In several interview scenes reminiscent of those in Citizen Kane, he visits friends and family, one by one, asking them to recall the events preceding her death. He soon discovers that many layers of deception and misinformation barricaded him from unveiling the truth.
“Tell No One” is gorgeous. Fluid camerawork becomes a welcomed stylistic conceit, and many scenes set in domestic interiors are shot hand-held and lit only by practicals. The mix of styles never compromises tone, as Canet is clearly aware of what works and when it works. The numerous montages, often enriched by a largely American pop soundtrack including, quite memorably, U2’s “With or Without You,” contain all the necessary elements of a prototypical sequence of the sort, swiftly edited and rife with spotless graphic match cuts. And yes, just the right number of zooms.
At times Canet and cinematographer Christophe Offenstein momentarily depart from the narrative flow to capture moving images of filmic beauty, which so happen to run parallel to the main current of action. When we first meet Alex’s sister Anne (Marina Hands), we watch her gracefully jump over hurdles on horseback, images so captivating that when Alex tells her he loves to watch her ride we're simply inclined to agree. The film is full of such welcomed respites that encourage the viewer for just a moment to reflect on the purely aesthetic.
The picture is so multifaceted that several themes emerge from the get-go. One is the examination of the relations between the different classes in French society, which is an addition to the story absent in the American novel. Another is the potential for lies and secrets -- especially those harbored among the elite, it seems – to birth a snowballing number of violent crimes. The most notable aspect of the film, however, is what it says about the authenticity and credibility of the moving image. More important than what it tells us is what it intentionally leaves out. “Tell No One” succeeds as a mystery because often the information divulged represents either a shade of the truth or downright deception. Canet makes the point, whether he means to or not, that when viewers are presented with captured moving images they are inclined to believe what is seen (given enough reason to suspend disbelief). It is this quality of cinema that allows for writhing suspense and effective plot twists. This idea is explored within the diegesis of the film as well. Margot’s presence on real time surveillance footage gives Alex enough reason to believe she is still alive. When Captain Levkowich (Francois Berléand) presents Alex with photographic evidence of Margot’s bruised body, we begin for the first time to wonder if he can be trusted, despite overwhelming evidence in his favor. The captured moment becomes for us irrefutable.
“Tell No One” is an impeccable study of the American thriller and murder mystery. Canet makes his homage to the American system clear in the opening scene, where a fluid, meandering frame sways as if dancing around a table of good friends, one with child and the others, young and in love. “Lilac Wine” by Jeff Buckley plays over warm, angelic smiles and hearty laughter. What could possibly go wrong? From then on it contains all the necessary tropes and develops them with deftness. Alex’s love for his wife is so strong and pure, and Cuzet is so affable an actor (too many people have mentioned to me that he looks like Dustin Hoffman, so I can’t leave that out), that we have little reason to question his motives. Captain Levkowich is the figure of authority sympathetic to Alex’s hopeless plight, willing to openly oppose confident claims by others of the man’s guilt. An almost skeletal woman with a knack for pressure points plays the role of an eccentric thug seeking out Margot and Alex for reasons that aren’t immediately clear. The list goes on. The film is not entirely clothed in American modus operandi, however. At times the film cuts off its soundtrack in mid-melody to affirm we are watching a carefully crafted and calculated thriller -- a product of the cutting room. Godard has not been abandoned.
In many ways, “Tell No One” is one part Big Sleep and one part The Wrong Man. It contains an insatiable and ever-twisting narrative characteristic of Chandler’s definitive novel (the Hawks film does it justice) and the craftsmanship and surging momentum of a Hitchcock picture. It doesn't strike the chord of a classic but it may be too soon to tell. What is clear however, is the skillfulness and technical proficiency of young actor-director (and co-writer) Canet and the tremendous talent of its all-star French cast.
I’ve left out quite a bit of the good stuff, so be sure to catch this great movie still playing at The Charles Theatre before it leaves the big screen for good.
“Tell No One” (French: “Ne le dis à personne”) was released in 2006 (France) and 2008 (USA). 125 minutes, 2.35:1 Aspect. Based on the 2001 novel by Harlan Cobel. Starring Francois Cluzet, Kristin Scott Thomas, Marina Hands, Marie-Josee Croze, André Dussollier. Co-written and directed by Guillaume Canet. It is his second film, following the comedy “Mon Idole” (2002).
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