Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Oscar Isaac | ... | Rydal | |
Viggo Mortensen | ... | Chester | |
Kirsten Dunst | ... | Colette | |
Daisy Bevan | ... | Lauren | |
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Babis Chatzidakis | ... | Stall Keeper |
David Warshofsky | ... | Paul Vittorio | |
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Pat Hillard | ... | American Hotel Guest |
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Ozan Tas | ... | Hotel Grand Receptionist |
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Peter Mair | ... | Elderly Man at Hotel Grand |
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Helena Jinx Jones | ... | Elderly Woman at Hotel Grand |
Omiros Poulakis | ... | Nikos | |
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George Tzoganidis | ... | Heralkion Hotel Receptionist |
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Ioannis Vordos | ... | Cafe Owner |
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Panagiota Stavrakaki | ... | Landlady |
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Stella Fyrogeni | ... | Barmaid (as Stela Fyrogeni) |
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 ... Written by Production
I agree with an earlier reviewer that this film derives much of its effect from being set in 1962. The period feel is beautifully communicated and the plot needs to work itself out in a world where places like Athens, Crete and Istanbul were not just exotic but isolated, where holidaying Americans would still be surprised and interested to meet other Americans, and people on the run could hope to hide away. The chemistry between the three leads, who are all well played, does lack fizz and there is a clumsy and rather hackneyed third act. But the film is never less than engaging and all the better for not resorting to surprise twists. The music tries too hard to be exciting, almost as if the director thinks the visuals need some extraneous help to keep the audience interested. I think he is wrong - there is enough going on here, including some fine acting and cinematography, to appeal to audiences who like films with substance, a trajectory, and a sound sense of place and time.