TELL NO ONE (Ne le dis a personne)

Dir. Guillaume Camet | 2006 | France | 130 min - French, with English subtitles

Starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Marie Josee Croze

French thrillers are usually heavy on atmosphere, rich in characterization, light on action, and utterly devoid of genuine mystery. American thrillers, conversely, tend to be just the opposite. That’s why Tell No One is such a mid-Atlantic miracle.

Guillaume Canet’s adaptation of Harlan Coben’s novel is like a happy marriage between Marathon Man and Les Diaboliques. It’s also the best European adaptation of a U.S. crime novel since François Truffaut turned David Goodis’ Down There into Shoot the Piano Player.

The first few minutes of this film are quietly deceptive. Childhood sweethearts Alex (François Cluzet) and Margot (Marie-Josée Croze) might or might not have a perfect marriage. Then the latter gets murdered by a serial killer and the former sinks into an eight-year depression leavened only by his pediatric work with young children.

Or is that what really happened? Computer images suggest that Margot is still alive, and Alex finds that the police are interested in him again. Even worse, he’s pursued by so many different people it’s impossible to determine who is trying to cover up what.

Tell No One really does have everything: a long list of suspects on both sides, great ensemble acting, and a chase scene that compares favourably to even the best U.S. models (Bullitt, The French Connection).

Seeing this thriller isn’t a duty you owe to your superego. It is, rather, an id-driven pleasure, rather like eating chocolate-chip cookies or drinking Irish beer. If you don’t check out this film, your inner hedonist will never forgive you.

(The Straight - Vancouver)

View the Trailer