The difficulty in judging any remake is separating it from the
original. Sometimes this can be pretty easy, but when the source is an Oscar
winner like Juan Jose Campanella's moody and excellent The Secret In Their Eyes, it
can be especially tough. To put into perspective the high regard there is for
that Argentinian film, it defeated The
White Ribbon and A Prophet in the Best
Foreign Language category, two films that have not diminished in standing in
the years since. So Billy Ray's American remake, simply titled Secret In Their Eyes perhaps
to avoid confusing the audience that probably has no idea it's a remake, has
very tough shoes to fill.
While it doesn't quite pack the emotional
or political heft of the original, Secret
In Their Eyes isn't just another meaningless redo. Despite a few hokey
twists, it works as an efficient, melancholic crime procedural and examination
of grief and loss. Expertly navigating between the past and the present, the
film mostly takes place in Los Angeles in the months following the 9/11
attacks. Back then it was expected that the west coast was the next likely
target for terrorists, and the country was at high alert. It also opened up a
pervasive "ends justifying the means" approach to national security,
and into this world enters Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an FBI agent on the
counter-terrorism task force. He's been assigned to keep tabs on a nearby
mosque that could be a terrorist hot spot, but his eyes are focused more on
Claire (Nicole Kidman), the District Attorney he shares an instant connection
with. He works alongside his best friend, Jess (Julia Roberts), who never
misses an opportunity to needle him about his workplace crush.
Ray, an expert scribe who wrote and
directed the excellent Shattered
Glass, Breach and penned The Hunger Games, focuses on the connection between
these three people and the little details in their lives. That's what makes it
so heart-breaking when a murdered girl discovered near the mosque turns out to
be Jess' daughter. The look of anguish on Ray's face when he makes the
discovery and realizes he must break it to his friend. The look of unimaginable
pain and loss on her face upon seeing her dead girl, the "thing that makes
me me" she says, is indescribable. Years later as Ray returns to help
close the unsolved murder case, the guilt and despair weighing on all of them
is never far away.
Ray's pursuit of the alleged killer, an
informant he's come to know as Marzin, is complicated by an array of insiders,
corrupt cops, and ambitious politicians each with their own agendas. But the
same can be said of Ray, Jess, and Claire who each carry reasons for wanting,
or not wanting, to see the case solved. That demands the audience pay the
utmost attention to every detail, especially as time jumps back and forth
between the past and present. The transition is always seamless, with it always
clear how decisions made in the past continue to have an impact. The character
details and much of the plot remains untouched, but what's missing is the
gripping edge-of-your-seat tension, perhaps because Ray is more attuned to
screenwriting than visual flair. This is never more obvious than in his limp
recreation of the unforgettable stadium chase scene.
Naturally, it's tough to find fault in the
three lead stars, but supporting players like Dean Norris, Michael Kelly, and
Alfred Molina shouldn't be overlooked. Kidman and Ejiofor have terrific sexual
chemistry, important because much of the film deals with their unrequited
passion. They may have gone a little overboard in trying to make Roberts look
normal. Decked out in the drabbest outfits they could find from the nearby
Goodwill, the heavy-handed depiction of Jess telegraphs what should have been a
meaningful, surprising reveal. Secret In Their Eyes isn't going to make anyone forget
the original, but it's possible to have an appreciation for both without
diminishing either.
Rating: 3 out of 5
