The Two Faces of January

20142014
K-12K-12
1h 36min

6.2/10

A thriller centered on a con artist, his wife, and a stranger who flee Athens after one of them is caught up in the death of a private detective.A thriller centered on a con artist, his wife, and a stranger who flee Athens after one of them is caught up in the death of a private detective.A thriller centered on a con artist, his wife, and a stranger who flee Athens after one of them is caught up in the death of a private detective.

6.2/10

31K

Director
- Hossein Amini
Writers
- Hossein Amini
- Patricia Highsmith(based on the novel by)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 nominations

Videos3

Trailer 2:10

Trailer #1

Trailer 2:14

U.S. Theatrical Trailer

Clip 2:09

Exclusive Clip

Viggo Mortensen in The Two Faces of January (2014)

Oscar Isaac in The Two Faces of January (2014)

Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Daisy Bevan, and Oscar Isaac in The Two Faces of January (2014)

Daisy Bevan in The Two Faces of January (2014)

Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen in The Two Faces of January (2014)

Kirsten Dunst in The Two Faces of January (2014)

Director
- Hossein Amini
Writers
- Hossein Amini
- Patricia Highsmith(based on the novel by)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

1962. A glamorous American couple, the charismatic Chester MacFarland (Mortensen) and his alluring younger wife Colette (Dunst), arrive in Athens by boat via the Corinth Canal. While sightseeing at the Acropolis they encounter Rydal (Isaac), a young, Greek-speaking American who is working as a tour guide, scamming tourists on the side. Drawn to Colette's beauty and impressed by Chester's wealth and sophistication, Rydal gladly accepts their invitation to dinner. However, all is not as it seems with the MacFarlands and Chester's affable exterior hides darker secrets. When Rydal visits the couple at their exclusive hotel, Chester presses him to help move the body of a seemingly unconscious man who he claims attacked him. In the moment, Rydal agrees but as events take a more sinister turn he finds himself compromised and unable to pull himself free. His increasing infatuation with the vulnerable and responsive Colette gives rise to Chester's jealousy and paranoia, leading to a tense and dangerous battle of wits between the two men. —Production

greece ruins athens greece american in europe foot chase 176 more

Taglines
- A mysterious encounter. A dangerous past. A deadly secret.
Genres
- Romance
- Thriller
Certificate
- K-12
Parents guide

Trivia
The month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of transitions, beginnings, gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings, and as such is usually portrayed with two faces, one looking to the future and the other to the past.

Goofs
In the beginning Rydal recounts the legend of Aegeus on the steps of the Acropolis and says that it was there that Aegeus jumped to his death after his son, Theseus returned from Crete and forgot to change the black sails to white to denote his success. This is untrue; you would not be able to see the Aegean from the Acropolis, anyway. According to the legend Aegeus was waiting for the ships to arrive at Cape Sounion and when he saw the black sails he plunged into the sea (which is called the Aegean Sea after him). It is unlikely that a tour guide would not know how to recount the legend properly.

Quotes
Chester MacFarland: I'm sorry I disappointed you.

Connections
Featured in Film '72: Episode dated 5 March 2014 (2014)

Top review

5/10

A missed opportunity.

An old school, Hitchcockian style thriller from the writer behind Drive, The Two Faces of January commences with sexy, mysterious intrigue, but slowly dovetails into a soggy noodle. Shot against the glorious, sun-drenched Greek landscape by cinematographer Marcel Zyskind and boasting immaculate costume and set design befitting its 1960s period, January looks a million bucks, yet this can't cover up the fact the final hour is bland and devoid of tension. One of the finest (and underrated) actors of our generation, Oscar Isaac is once again astounding despite his failing surrounds, here portraying the smooth, enigmatic operator who gets in over his head when he witnesses a crime by an attractive American couple. As the wealthy tourists with a secret, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen are another major weakness, the duo sharing zero spark together and Mortensen in particular possessing all the charisma of a plank of wood. It's a noble directorial debut from screenwriter Hossein Amini, but remains a missed opportunity in a subgenre not visited nearly enough.

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