Tell No One

Actually, tell everyone about this thriller good enough to make Hollywood consider French lessons

By Geoff Berkshire

Critic's Rating:

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Marie-Josée Croze and François Cluzet in "Tell No One" (Credit: Music Box)

During one fateful evening, happily married pediatrician Alex (François Cluzet) is knocked unconscious and his lovely wife Margot (Marie-Josée Croze) is mysteriously abducted. The discovery of her body shortly thereafter makes Alex a prime suspect in her murder. Eight years pass before Alex receives a message that leads him to believe Margot isn't dead after all.

Big question: Can this French adaptation of an American crime novel demonstrate the international appeal of a good mystery?

Catch it: Actor-filmmaker Guillaume Canet's second feature successfully combines the rush of reading a page-turning thriller with the grand tradition of suspense cinema (Alex is that old Hitchcockian standby, an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances). Cluzet and Croze quickly establish a chemistry that gives the story its emotional hook, and their relationship deepens throughout Canet's elegantly structured flashbacks and revelations. The supporting cast is filled with French pros, while the more internationally known Kristin Scott-Thomas makes a vivid impression as Alex's no-nonsense best friend.

Skip it: If you've got a fear of running into oncoming traffic. Alex demonstrates balls of steel by doing just that in one of the film's most exciting sequences.

Bottom line: There's nothing transcendent or groundbreaking about the film's mystery, but don't underestimate the pleasure of experiencing a solidly executed genre film. "Tell No One" is a clever puzzle with pieces that click neatly into a place, a gripping story and a terrific cast. You'll leave wondering why Hollywood can't seem to make a romantic thriller so simply satisfying.

Bonus: Canet asked musician Matthieu Chedid to improvise the film's effective score in a single session as he watched a real-time playback of the movie.