Secret in Their Eyes

Finally a really good movie for a change. A movie that isn't "figured out" within the first 15 minutes. It holds the viewers attention for more than just the actors in it. The storyline is a grab and as the details roll out, twist after ohmygod twist, it holds you. I had no idea how this was going to end. Not a big fan of Nicole Kidman but she was decent in this role. I don't think of her on the caliber as Julia Roberts or Chiwetel Ejliofor are but she was decent at best. Glad to hear that Gwen Paltrow didn't get it, she would have ruined the role completely. I never thought in a million years Julia Roberts could look bad but she looked terrible in this film, and it was explained why from several different directions. She was amazing as always. Chiwetel Ejilofor carried this thriller from start to finish. He was really well casted and well played. I'll have to call this movie the sleeper of the year. Never heard a thing about it in the theaters. So much garbage is being made into movies these days, a shining star like this should have been talked up. A well known secret full of twists and yes...secrets.

I went to see this movie with high hopes to have a couple of entertaining hours, but boy was I wrong. The movie starts OK and then shifts towards a terrible plot with unbelievable (in the bad way) scenes. FBI agents trying to capture a man and fail miserably more then once, the mother's victim leaving her best friend tormented for 13 years without telling him the truth, 2 people attracted to each other and both are afraid to come forward. (In which century are we?). Terrible, terrible movie. Oh and I forgot, the mother's victim agrees to make a bust that leads to an agent's death knowing that the culprit is not amongst the busted! A complete waste of time. The only positive thing is Nicole Kidman, she's gorgeous!

When I saw the cast list, which includes Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and the brilliant Chiwetel Ejiofor I thought I was in for ninety minutes of sheer quality, you can forgive me for thinking that, when you take into account the number of awards shared by the stars, the budget, and the pedigree of the original movie. Unfortunately, Hollywood strikes again, the curse of the poor remake, it was virtually impossible to mess this up, but mess up they did. The acting was fine, strong production values, a clever story, in theory. However, the execution is so bad, the film lacks any degree of suspense, it lacks any degree of subtlety needed to tell such a story, and the characters are such that I didn't care less what happened to any of them, as I have no connection with anybody. The film should have been gripping, exciting, at least moved you to empathise with the characters, but no, it was utterly bland, such a waste of so much talent. I'm stunned by some of the positive reviews I've read, what are they seeing that I couldn't, all I did was yawn, and I'm easy to please in terms of thrillers. Duller then dishwater. 5/10

Hollywood loves to remake foreign language films and it's at it again with an Argentinian film that was made only six years ago. The Secret in Their Eyes received the Best Foreign Language Oscar but there's no chance for this production to be even nominated in any Oscar categories. I haven't seen the original so I can't compare the two movies but knowing Hollywood's track record with remakes, the Argentinian version would have been a superior production. In 2002, a team of FBI investigators including Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Jess (Julia Roberts) along with a newly arrived district attorney, Claire (Nicole Kidman), are based in Los Angeles to prevent terrorists from inflicting more damage to the American way of life after 9/11 the previous year. The agency receives a call about an incident that has taken place in the vicinity of a mosque. Thinking this is terror-related they make the grim discovery of a murdered young lady who just so happens to be Jess' daughter, Carolyn (Zoe Graham). The agents make an arrest but the man is released as he is a snitch for the FBI, providing names of terrorists to the organization. For 13 years, Ray logs onto the criminal database and eventually finds the man who might have been responsible for Carolyn's death. Will justice be served after 13 years? The main problem with the story is the ridiculous number of flashbacks throughout the whole film. There are even flashbacks within flashbacks. The flow of the narrative is constantly interrupted and there are occasions where you have to think when the story is being set. As for the story itself, it is rather lacking in thrills which takes away the dramatic impact of the whole situation. This is rarely edge of your seat material which is a shame as the story should lend itself to a tense and dramatic thriller. What the story does well is provide character interactions and depict why people act and behave the way they do. If you are after a character study then you will be happier with the development of the story. For characterizations to excel you need actors who you can empathize with. Ejiofor is the main star and he performs with distinction while Roberts doesn't have as many scenes but she is excellent in conveying her emotions. Kidman is overshadowed by her counterparts but still manages to bring her character to life. Dean Norris as FBI agent Bumpy Willis brings some humor to his role, ensuring that the tone of the story isn't dour for the whole film. Alfred Molina has several scene- stealing scenes as District Attorney Martin Morales. A movie with two Oscar winning actresses and an Oscar nominated actor should have been better than this. Here is a definite case of the trailer being more exciting than the film itself. The final product only provides a fraction of what the intriguing premise had to offer.  http://mlaimlai2.wix.com/magical-movie-review

This is a rare beast a remake that is actually pretty good. Although it it isn't as good as the original, lacking the slow burn nature of it, it's still a well made and entertaining film. It's pretty similar to the original but the shorter running time means it's faster paced which does diminish it's substance. What makes this worth watching even for those who have seen the original is the acting. It boasts a top rate cast with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Julia Roberts particularly good. For those who have seen the original this will hold no surprises but for those who haven't seen it, it is well worth watching with a great ending.

Leave it to Hollywood to try to take a great original film and jazz it up with their politics and false polish. First let's toss in an interracial relationship and class structure to give everyone a teaching moment. Then lets change other details to make things seem even more compelling, dramatic and extraordinary. That's because the original film, which was great, just wasn't amped up enough. In the original film we watch a detective who has had a friendship with the DA. There are questions about "what if" regarding a current between them but, what drives the film, is the retired detective haunted by a crime he could not solve. A beautiful woman is raped and murdered in a terrible fashion and her lover is overcome with incredible sorrow. His reinvestigation into the murder also connects him with his loose end in his search to answer both questions. And the cast and script is riveting. In this film that doesn't happen. The person murdered is the daughter of one of the investigators, which goes unsolved. And then a team member returns many years later to reopen the case and question about the grieving mother and former team member and her zeal to find the murderer. I give it 1 star because I have to. I give it another star for the fact that I've seen much worse. But it is a tragedy that this film tears down the greatness of the original. On the bright side it isn't as pitifully bad as Spike Lee's Oldboy remake, which could be one of the worst ever. This is along the level of the remake of Spoorloss into "The Vanishing." Rip the essence out of what makes the movie great and try to throw your spin on something that really doesn't need fixing at all.

Secret In Their Eyes is a movie that will break your heart for what it could have been. The best part is the cast. Julia Roberts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Nicole Kidman have garnered attention for their presence, but we also have doing supporting duties Dean Norris, and Michael Kelly. The film opens with the brutal death of Jess's daughter. The moment Jess finds her daughter and the inexplicable grief that follows is a shattering and powerful moment. The prosecution and how justice will be parceled out to a police officer, a country, and ultimately a parent is the crux of Billy Ray's third directorial effort. This case which transcends from 2002 to 2015 fails to find its center through a milquetoast romance between the characters of Ray and Claire. The unrequited love and smoldering passion these two are supposed to feel is not there, and the film falls through the center. Kidman never settles fully into her role. Kidman, who excels in more offbeat work, becomes a stoic non-entity in the film. Ray does not adequately structure the transitions between time periods, nor do the actors convey any change in demeanor and attitude to assist the audience. This lack of emotional tension restricts the audience into a state of indifference the film does not have the quality or tension to transcend.

I kept trying to find reviews of this movie and all I could find were those saying how great the original was and how this movie was not the same. I watch foreign films, I lived in Spain. I don't expect a film made in the USA to be the same as one made elsewhere. That is not what I am looking for in a review. The movie switches back and forth between what is the current time and a time in the past over a decade ago that tore apart the lives of all those related to a crime that happened then. Initially it was difficult to know what time frame you were in and then it turned out that you didn't care. It did not take away from the story being told. There are surprises along the way as the mystery unfolds and the ending is also a big surprise but it turns out that this doesn't matter either. What you care about are the people and their story. Oddly enough, at the end you are left with hope. I did not expect to like this movie. I did not expect to see Julia Roberts successfully play the part she played. Everyone in this was top rate. It is not often that a Hollywood movie surprises me and moves me. I put this in the category of "Unusual Suspects". Not many make that category with me.

This film is far better than than 6.2 rating it has received which seems mostly to come from those wanting to compare it to the Argentinian original. I am rating this as a separate film and not comparing it to the original. The acting is top notch and believable. Ejiofor, Kidman and Roberts all do a great job. It's an interesting crime thriller with some twists and turns. It's about a team of rising investigators, along with their supervisor, whose worlds are suddenly torn apart during a homicide investigation that hits close to home. It was completely watchable and entertaining. I'm not saying this is a high brow, blow your socks of type of movie, but it certainly deserves a far higher rating. I am certainly not saying that the original might not be much better. I have it on my list to watch but in my opinion, if you like thrillers and movies with some twists and turns and want to be entertained I recommend giving it a chance.

Hollywood, we spoke about this just last week. I know you're young and I know that sometimes means you want to steal ideas from others and think that by changing language and adding "stars" you will make something better but you know it doesn't work. We talked about 9 Quenns just the other day but now you've done it again. A poetic, heartbreaking, beautifully acted, thriller from Argintinia gets turned into barely watchable mush. So, go to you room, no dinner and don't do it again. And once you have realised the error of your ways we will watch the original and realise that having to read and watch a film isn't the end of the world and even better, opens you up to the idea that the action, the great stories, the films that treat the viewer as an adult, generally, don't come out of Hollywood anymore. Argintinia alone has been steadily putting out gem after gem, maybe we will have a mini fest on that country's output and forget bad remakes for a while.