Review of The Two Faces of January (2014) by Graham G — 18 Feb 2015

Director Hossein Amini's thriller feels like something Hitchcock could have directed. Beautiful to look at, with a suspenseful story, and charismatic performances, The Two Faces of January is a pretty wonderful film that was woefully underpromoted. The three leads completely give themselves to the world that Amini has created, and they are completely eating up the dialogue they speak and the situations they get into.

I absolutely love Hitchcockian thrillers like North by Northwest and The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Two Faces of January could stand up with the great Hitchcock films. It has the great feeling of being in over your head and never knowing who to trust. Amini perfectly captures this, not only with the script, but with the visuals which put the characters in larger than life situations. Reminding us that we are never really in control of anything.

The Two Faces of January is one of the best thrillers of 2014, and should have gotten more recognition than it has. It will be a film that I continue to promote long after seeing it.