THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES — ★★★1/2 — Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago; with English subtitles (Spanish dialects); rated R (violence, profanity, rape, nudity, gore, slurs, brief drugs); Broadway Centre
"The Secret in Their Eyes" is based on a well-regarded novel by Eduardo Sacheri.
The literary pedigree helps explain why this mystery/revenge-thriller unfolds like a novel and is told like one, as well.
And yes, that means it uses some storytelling devices that don't always work in film, such as flashback sequences and other "shattered narrative" tricks. This is done here to tell a story that spans more than two decades.
Thankfully, none of that is done to the point of distraction, and it doesn't disrupt the storytelling. If anything, it makes the material resonate more.
As far as how the adaptation fares in comparison to the source material, it's a good one. Sacheri co-wrote the adaptation with director Juan José Campanella, after all.
Admittedly, there is some rough material that will make the film tough to watch for a few audiences.
But the Academy Award winner for best foreign language feature is well-acted, and there are at least a couple of shocking moments that will linger in your mind long after the movie is over.
Veteran Argentine actor Ricardo Darín ("Nine Queens") stars as Benjamin Esposito, a Buenos Aires court investigator with unerring instincts concerning crime suspects.
Benjamin has just gotten a new boss, the beautiful Irene Menendez Hastings (Soledad Villamil). He has also been handed a troubling case, the rape and murder of a schoolteacher, Liliana Coloto (Carla Quevedo).
Her husband, Ricardo Morales (Pablo Rago), has already been ruled out as a suspect. And though Benjamin believes he has identified a likely culprit, Liliana's childhood friend Isidoro Gomez (Javier Godino), efforts to bring him to justice will take decades.
The main part of the story takes place in the mid-'70s. Wraparound sequences, set in the late-'90s, look at the now-retired Benjamin, who's trying to write a novel about his experiences.
Campanella and Sacheri use this framework to examine notions of justice and punishment, revenge and even romantic obsession. (One subplot looks at the long-simmering but never acted upon attraction between Benjamin and Irene.)
Both Darín and Argentine television actress Villamil are terrific. It's the supporting performers whose work really sticks with you, though — especially that of Argentine comedian Guillermo Francella, who plays Benjamin's alcoholic, self-destructive co-worker.
"The Secret in Their Eyes" is rated R and features violent content and imagery (brawling, gunplay and shootings, and violence against women), strong sexual language (profanity, slang and other sexually frank talk), a sequence depicting rape and sexual violence, full male and female nudity, bloody and gory imagery, other off-color references, derogatory language and slurs (some of them sexist in nature, others relating to stature and height), and brief drug references (injections). Running time: 127 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com