6.8 C
New York
Friday, March 29, 2024
Advertisement

The Two Faces of January Blu-ray Review

two-faces-of-january-bluray-coverU.S. Release

– –

The Film

[Rating:3.5/5]

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_01

Hossein Amini makes his feature-length writing and directorial debut with this film adapted from a Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley) novel. It’s a whirlwind of treachery, deceit, and seething sexuality.

In 1962, high-rolling businessman Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen) and his winsome younger wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst; Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues) arrive in Athens, Greece to soak up the sights. While on a sightseeing tour of the Acropolis, the couple meet Rydal (Oscar Issac; Inside Llewyn Davis), an American-born tourist guide with a strong command of the Greek language that helps him charm young college girls out of their money and their clothes. Colette is drawn to Rydal’s charms despite Chester’s suspicions, and it earns him an invitation to dinner with the pair later that night. Little does he know that the couple are hiding secrets of their own – dangerous ones. Later that evening, when Rydal returns to the MacFarland’s hotel to return a bracelet Colette left in a taxi, he comes across Chester dragging an “unconscious” man out of the room. Chester convinces Rydal the man just attacked him, and to help him. Rydal is now ensnared deeper in a web of lies with the police after them all, realizing he is now inexorably tied to Chester’s fate, while his flirtations with Colette continue to be returned and Chester grows increasingly angered at his presence and jealous. The trio plan to flee from Athens to another island, then eventually to Turkey, setting up a fateful confrontation.

Amini’s direction and screenplay are nearly flawless for all of the first three acts of The Two Faces of January, weaving a rich and complex story that is both suspenseful, sexy, and, thanks to the cinematography of Marcel Zyskind (TV’s Wallander), beautiful to watch. However, by the final act, the story begins to feel rushed and the final confrontational scene is anti-climactic, to say the least, almost like something out of pulp novel. One could be disappointed and write the whole film off, but the first three quarters of the film more than make up for the lackluster ending, which isn’t entirely out of left field.

With the wonderful acting from Viggo Mortensen who is edgy, suave, and dangerous as Chester MacFarland, and Kirsten Dunst who seems like an excellent choice for this film to play the quintessential femme fatale, The Two Faces of January still makes for some tasty, suspenseful entertainment. Oscar Issac also continues to prove his acting abilities. Here he is decidedly more approachable than he was in Inside Llewyn Davis, yet we still don’t know if we should like him or not, he’s a dubious character, and Issac nails this duplicitous nature. No doubt, much of this is down to good direction from Amini guiding his strong cast of actors down the right path and balancing this film, which could very easily become guilty pleasure, into an entertaining, though flawed, thriller.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_02

The Two Faces of January is an original high definition production shot in the anamorphic format on the Arri Alexa Plus with Hawk C-Series lenses. It comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p AVC encodement from Magnolia that has a generally good appearance. There is some video noise, but nothing too obtrusive, and it generally looks passable as film grain in most instances. Contrast is good, although the color palette can tend to be just slightly pallid and darker scenes a little murky at times.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_03

A single English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack is provided that is lushly mixed with atmospherics, capturing the din of the Mediterranean and balancing in the rich score from Alberto Iglesias.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:3/5]

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_04

  • Deleted Scenes (2.35:1 1080p/24; 00:006:03)
  • Bloopers (2.35:1; 1080p/24; 00:03:48)
  • Traveling in Style (2.35:1; 1080i/60; 00:02:33)
  • Shooting the Odyssey (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 00:02:51)
  • A Twist on the Classic Thriller (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 00:03:09)
  • AXS TV: A Look at The Two Faces of January (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:02:32)
  • Theatrical Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24; Dolby Digital 5.1; 00:02:16)
  • Magnolia Home Entertainment Trailers

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_05

The Two Faces of January is suspenseful and lavishly filmed, propped up by a strong cast and good direction, hampered only by a weak ending. The beautiful cinematography, fine cast, and high quality of this transfer to Blu-ray make it a satisfying film to watch.

Additional Screen Captures

[amazon-product]B00OLIIGNU[/amazon-product]

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_06

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_07

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_08

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_09

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_10

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_11

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_12

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_13

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_14

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_15

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_16

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_17

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_18

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_19

The-Two-Faces-of-January-BD_20

[amazon-product]B00OLIIGNU[/amazon-product]

Advertisement

Related Articles

Join the Discussion on TheaterByte!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

301FansLike
0FollowersFollow
184FollowersFollow
1,710FollowersFollow
- Advertisement -

Notice of Compliance with FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255

In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR part 255 guidelines, this website hereby states that it receives free discs and other theatrical or home entertainment "screeners" and access to screening links from studios and/or PR firms, and is provided with consumer electronics devices on loan from hardware manufacturers and/or PR firms respectively for the purposes of evaluating the products and its content for editorial reviews. We receive no compensation from these companies for our opinions or for the writing of reviews or editorials.
Permission is sometimes granted to companies to quote our work and editorial reviews free of charge. Our website may contain affiliate marketing links, which means we may get paid commission on sales of those products or the services we write about. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Latest Articles