NE LE DIS A PERSONNE (Tell No One) is the second full-length film by French heartthrob Guillame Canet of THE BEACH fame.  It is a film adaptation of American novelist Harlan Coben's thriller of the same name.  The film is about a physician's (Francois Cluzet) struggle to cope with the loss of his wife eight years ago, who was a victim of a vicious serial killer.  The discovery of two corpses in the area where his wife's body was found mutilated, brings back not only memories for Dr. Beck, but also heralds the return of ghosts from the past.  Canet's sophomore effort keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats with his expert use of the camera to provide them with a first person's perspective of the events as they transpire.  This, combined with the use of flashbacks keep the audience constantly guessing as to what will happen next.   Reminiscent of Andrew Davis' THE FUGITIVE and Clint Eastwood's MYSTIC RIVER, TELL NO ONE is a modern day take on the classic thriller plot of who-killed-whom-and-will-the-guy-who's-framed-be-able-to-uncover-the-real-story-and-exonerate-himself.

Overall, it is easily one of my favorite movies of this year, so far.  It combines the dirty and violent environs of the banlieus (French suburbs) with the clean and well-manicured lawns of the rich in Versailles.  It is almost a political commentary of sorts, on the civil unrest that plagued France a few years ago, giving the viewer a glimpse of the disparity between the impoverished and the well-off, but it is not in any way a political homily, but more of a general observation of contemporary French society.  The soundtrack provides an appropriate backdrop for the visuals, featuring well-known (and loved) R&B classics and even more recent hits such as Groove Armada's "Hands of Time", as well as U2's fan favorite, "With or Without You", which was used in a really corny, but appropriate scene (to this, I grudgingly agree).  I guess you have to judge for yourself.

Canet's recent directorial effort is a film worth seeing.  Not only is it one of the best thrillers you will see this year, but it also has its quirky and amusing moments that one would not usually expect from a thriller (one scene shows Beck dressed in a hip-hop inspired leisure suit).  If Michael Caine said that it was one of the best films he has seen in the past year, would you believe him, or would you wanna decide for yourself?  Plus, aren't you just a little bit intrigued as to how this whodunit ends?

by Angela Torregoza