SummaryA tight-knit team of rising FBI investigators – Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Jess (Julia Roberts), along with their District Attorney supervisor Claire (Nicole Kidman) – is suddenly torn apart when they discover that Jess’s teenage daughter has been brutally and inexplicably murdered. Now, thirteen years later, after obsessively searching ...
SummaryA tight-knit team of rising FBI investigators – Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Jess (Julia Roberts), along with their District Attorney supervisor Claire (Nicole Kidman) – is suddenly torn apart when they discover that Jess’s teenage daughter has been brutally and inexplicably murdered. Now, thirteen years later, after obsessively searching ...
What DOESN’T get lost in translation is what made “El Secreto De Sus Ojos” so effective: the visceral, devastating empathy we feel when a horrible injustice is committed and it ruins multiple lives; the haunted looks in the eyes of a trio of characters who will never be able to shake off the events of long ago; the lush and lurid film noir touches; and the air of melancholy hanging heavy over a pursuit of justice because we know there’s no such thing as true justice, not in these circumstances.
The story lacks the same intensity of the original. Not that everyone will have seen the first one. Those who have will almost certainly find the new version lacking. Those who haven’t will find a solid mystery, nothing more. Given the cast, that’s a letdown.
The Secret in their Eyes is an amazing film starring Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and some other guy playing Ray. It was much more suspenseful, entertaining, and violent than I expected it to be. The reviews were really bad, and so I was a bit worried. However, the film was actually a really fun chase film. The first 30 minutes are pretty slow and the flashback element did get annoying at times, however it was actually a pretty solid film! (87/100)
Arriving almost un-noticed under the radar despite starring two high profile actresses, this is actually a very impressive remake of the 2009 Argentinian Oscar winner of the same title. Well written, and a great story to boot, the film is also smartly directed and edited, dealing as it does with two different time frames. People have criticised it for being confusing in this regard, but I had no trouble whatsoever in distinguishing which period was which on screen. The performances add gravitas. Chiwetel Ejiofor is solidly understated as the police investigator returning to his office 13 years later with new evidence about a **** and murder that was never prosecuted. Nicole Kidman isn’t bad either, although the least impressive of the three leads, as the district attorney he shares this new information with. The romantic bond implied between these two is definitely the story’s weakest link. The film’s biggest asset and the real news is that Julia Roberts, once again, proves herself to be more than capable of wowing in something other than a mediocre romantic comedy. Like her great turn in ‘August: Osage County’ she really does impress. Her performances are becoming subtler and more compelling as she matures. The vanity is gone and she doesn’t seem to care how she looks in the process of being true to the character. On the technical side the cinematography is a bit underwhelming, although the music underscores effectively.
What’s ironic — and frustrating — is how precipitously the movie itself eventually goes tumbling down the intelligence scale. In the process, Chiwetel Ejiofor is wasted, along with some potent moments from costars Roberts and Nicole Kidman.
Perhaps some of the same flaws lay beneath the surface of the original film, but the distraction of subtitles helped hide them. Here, they’re gaping holes knock “Secret” off the tracks long before it’s far-fetched twist ending.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, one of our top-tier film actors right now, is on good form throughout, and the others act their hearts out, too. But they are somewhat left out to dry in a production that feels more like syndicated television than a feature film.
The central mystery has been drastically altered to fit Julia Roberts, its most telling clue diluted, and a signature sequence that made soccer exciting now makes baseball duller.
Billy Ray's "Secret In Their Eyes" has a predictable twist you see coming, but then there's another twist you don't see coming, look I haven't seen the original film that this is based on but it's very entertaining and good despite it's boring and I almost fell asleep while watching this it's still a solid-crime genre film with three excellent performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman and an entertaining screenplay written and directed by Billy Ray (**** Glass and Breach). In 2002, two detectives Ray (played by Chiwetel Ejifor) and Jess (played by Julia Roberts) are in a private police unit led by the DNA. They rush to a crime scene where a girl is **** and murder. When Ray looks at the dead body he realizes it's actually Jess' daughter Carolyn (Zoe Graham). The team falls apart due to grief. 13 years later, he is still on the case and he has found a lead and convinces DA to open the case. They find clues and is still unknown, and the secrets in the past unravel the chilling truth. Meanwhile Jess still griefs, and decides to take it into her own hands to find the killer. 4.3 out of 5 stars
How long one's eyes can keep secret!
My confession is I haven't seen the original film. I had several opportunities, but for various reasons I stayed unwatched till now. Firstly, I won't consider it a remake since both the films were adapted from a novel. Yet no one can stop the people comparing between the two, just to find out which one is true to the book. In my perspective, I think the original source was written keeping the Argentinian society, because that dark tone narration suits them. I have seen many Argentinian films, but for the American kind of storytelling, it does not appeal. Even though it was not a bad film, I somewhat enjoyed, maybe because I haven't seen the other version.
The actors were great, but it was Chiwetel Ejiofor's film, He dominated the screenspace, and Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts were slightly disappointed with their small roles. But overall, they all made it a decent film, particularly the direction impressed me for handling neatly knowing it is already once made a film. The story was suspenseful, yet it feels familiar and lets you predict the each scene before its commencement. Yes, I thought it was holding something big for the end part, and then it gives out all clues leading that way. So I kind of assumed what the end twist might be and that happened, but a bit differently.
This kind of screenplay totally works for a Korean style filmmaking, but Hollywood is expert in a different field. Wherever it comes the film, a film is a film, so I won't blame it on a regional ground for lacking of something. But it should have been a bit better, maybe more thrilling and making the characters more stronger with emotionally appealing could have worked, particularly for a certain group of audience. If you're watching this story for the first time, then you might enjoy it, but for the other reasons you might not. Whatever, not a bad film for watching it once.
6/10
The stars do their best to keep the drama intact, but presentation of the thriller feels redundant and the mystery angle barely produces any excitement
From the first five minutes, Secret in Their Eyes already delivers several famous faces. It's apparent that the movie invests heavily on the cast, and while they are capable, the investigation story is rather bland and barely able to draw any emotional depth. I'm well aware that it's a remake, but it shouldn't be an issue or affect it in major way, considering that the movie is of average quality regardless.
The story might seem complicated at first with the many time jumps it presents, however it's practically the same case of homicide spanning for 13 years, with minute details sprinkled here and there. The daughter of a counter-terrorist agent is murdered, the team then pursues this case with two different agendas, one is justice for the daughter and the advancement of terrorist prevention.
Despite having the backdrop of murder, terrorism and **** at the same time, the case isn't complex. It's barely the level of good television drama as the investigation is pretty fundamental and offers little shocking twist. The two timelines are quite refined as audience can easily follow the pace, albeit the repeat story angle does feel cumbersome.
This might be an analogy of wallowing on the past, say that it is, that doesn't change the monotonous tone as well as occasional far-fetch development. Fortunately, the cast holds its own. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Ray is the main agent, working on the case at both time perspectives, he appears determined almost to a fault. The focus of his character is more towards drama, especially between him and his colleagues, than endearing cop procedural.
Nicole Kidman as Claire is the calmer prosecutor type, she's the love interest role on the subplot while also having some part on the case. She looks good, amazingly for older and younger version alike, a bit of resemblance to her role in The Interpreter. Julia Roberts plays the most emotional of them all, the mother of the victim. As expected she delivers the character well, especially since it's the maternal role she's familiar with.
Strangely, even with such high profile line-up, down to the supporting characters, there's low amount of thrill. The characters try to squeeze any drama they can, but the material is too sparse and it lacks the necessary tension to build a captivating mystery thriller.
It may have a couple of emotionally stirring moments due to the acting prowess, yet the presentation of the thriller feels redundant and for a nearly two hours movie, there's barely any fascination at the end.
Secret in their eyes is a boring piece of work with actors that seem to be going through the motions. The ending was poor and the movie seem to move at a snail pace.
Lamentable is the word for this movie. Why? Great cast.. great idea/concept.. but poor and molasses slow delivery. The director attempted to be clever.. all he managed to do is just prolong a boring movie..
too bad.. i had high hopes going in... Wait for it on Netflix or Redbox
Production Company
IM Global,
STX Entertainment,
Route One Entertainment,
Union Investment Partners,
Gran Via Productions,
SITE Productions,
Willie's Movies,
Ingenious Media,
Elipsis Capital,
Moot Point Productions