The Two Faces of January

When Rydal (Oscar Isaac), an American tour guide in Athens, meets the rather glamourous Mr and Mrs MacFarland, he is completely in awe of them. Meeting them for dinner, he is impressed by Chester’s (Viggo Mortensen) extravagant displays of wealth and charismatic ways, and is enchanted by the beauty of Chester’s younger wife, Colette (Kirsten Dunst). Despite his side project of scamming tourists, Rydal quickly finds himself being outwitted by a far better conman - Chester.

Persuaded to help Chester move a body of a man who supposedly attacked him, Rydal becomes entangled in something far more dangerous and darker than he could ever have imagined. His growing obsession with Colette provokes Chester’s jealously and paranoia, which leads to an ever-increasing tension between the two men. Caught up in something he cannot escape, Rydal goes on a journey with the unusual couple that takes them from Greece to Turkey with a shocking climatic ending on the streets of Istanbul.

Set in the 60s, the film is a historical thriller that succeeds in keeping the audience’s complete attention throughout, and the clever plot never falls into the trap of becoming over-complicated. With incredible performances from the three protagonists, this film is not to be missed.

Jess Walker