When you see names like Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac and Kirsten Dunst in a film based on a Patricia Highsmith novel, there are slim chances that it can go wrong. Viggo Mortensen plays an American swindler holidaying in Greece with his wife (Kirsten Dunst) when he inadvertently kills a private detective at his hotel room sent by his creditors from the US to shake him down and repay his debts. He takes the help of a local American guide (Oscar Isaac) who is also a small-time scamster, to escape from the hotel. As they run across Greece, trying to avoid recognition and the police, Oscar Isaac and Kirsten Dunst begin to draw close, complicating matters…
THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY (2014), superbly written and directed by debutant Hossein Amini, who had earlier written films like Drive, The Four Feathers and Gangs of New York(uncredited), amongst others, beautifully recreates the period atmosphere of 1962 Greece before it moves to the famous Grand Bazar of Istanbul for the climax.
A pleasant weekend viewing. Playing on Amazon Prime
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