Review of Tell No One (2006) by Robyn N — 19 Mar 2013

A phenomenon at the French box office, Guillaume Canet's take on Harlen Coben's multi-million selling novel is an energetic blend of Hollywood thrills and French cinematic style with big crossover appeal."Tell No One" tells the story of pediatrician Alexandre Beck (Francois Cluzet) who still grieves the murder of his beloved wife. Margot (Marie-Josée Cluzet), eight years earlier. When two bodies are uncovered near where Margot's body was found, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes a suspect again. He finds himself implicated in the murder of two people, with plenty of evidence pointing to him as the killer even though he knows nothing of the crimes. That same day, the mystery deepens when Alex receives an anonymous e-mail with a link to a vido clip that seems to suggest Margot is somehow still alive. Margot's message warns Alex that they are both being watched, and he struggles to stay one step ahead of the law as a gang of strong-arm men intimidate Alex's friends into telling whatever they might know about him. Alex goes on the lam while he and his lawyer struggle to find out the truth about the murder as well as Margot's reappearance.

In "Tell No One", nothing is quite as it seems--and the audience is kept in the dark, piecing together what's happening from small scraps of info. Cluzet provides a great performance as the protagonist, a man-on-the-run--and the running never stops until the very end. In lesser hands, Alex could easily have been overplayed, but veteran actor Cluzet is masterful at controlling his expressions. Without too much dialogue, Cluzet conveys the depth of his grief through the treatment of small moments.

In lesser hands, Alex could easily have been overplayed, but veteran actor Cluzet is masterful at controlling his expressions. Without too much dialogue, Cluzet conveys the depth of his grief through the treatment of small moments. "Tell No One" was directed and co-scripted by Guillaume Canet, working with Harlan Coben, the American author of the novel which inspired it. It contains a rich population of characters, but has been so carefully cast that we're never confused, and the movie gives full weight to these characters; they are necessary and handled with care.

There will be times you think it's too perplexing, when you're sure you're witnessing loose ends--but it's been devised that way, and the director knows what he's doing. Even when it's baffling, it's never boring. One of the film's pleasures is its unexpected details. Though subtule to first time viewers, a great deal of thought and planning has gone into the "trivial" details--that viewers can simply look over because the story line is moving so rapidly.

The film's action set pieces are brilliant; frantic and nerve-wracking, and they provide the perfect distraction from the plot's thinner moments. "Tell No One" is a great ball of unrelenting energy barreling through the streets of Paris, following the once-resigned but now-energized Alex--on his rabid quest to unravel the truth about his wife. A quest that, like so many of the best conspiracy-fueled films, is more fascinating the more convoluted, and eventually impenetrable, it becomes. By the time Alex starts stumbling into answers in the film's last act, chances are you won't even really care to know what they are, because the thrill of "Tell No One" isn't in the knowing-- it's in the not knowing. "Tell No One" pulls all the right strings--as a love story and a thriller. Relax and enjoy the ride.