The Two Faces of January
Common Sense says
- PG-13
- 2014
- 97 minutes
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The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Two Faces of January is a stylish thriller set in Greece and Turkey in the early 1960s. Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith (who also wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley), the story revolves around a married couple and a young American guide they meet; none of the three main characters is who they seem. Expect a good deal of drinking; one of the men is an ugly drunk who gets jealous and violent when he's had too much. There's also occasional swearing (including "s--t" and "f--k"), an undercurrent of sexual tension among the characters, and lots and lots of era-accurate smoking.
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What's the story?
Rydal (Oscar Isaac) is a young American trying to find himself in Greece in 1962, working as a tour guide who doesn't mind making a dishonest buck or two off naive tourists. His newest clients, a wealthy New York couple played by Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst, seem as genteel as you can get ... until Rydal discovers the man in a compromising position that has them on the lam. Rydal soon learns more about the couple than he probably should know and winds up in much too deep.
Is it any good?
For capturing the look and feel of Europe in the early 1960s, especially of the American expatriates who roamed the continent, THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY deserves kudos. Based on Patricia Highsmith's novel (she also wrote the book that inspired 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley), the film makes an effort to get the details right, even if the entire story, despite a fiendish plot, seems strangely devoid of intimacy (with a love triangle, of sorts, at its center, that seems odd). It also lacks the kind of sophisticated ending befitting the rest of the story.
Nonetheless, what a journey for the trio. Mortensen is his dastardly best. When the film begins, we're tricked into thinking he's one kind of person, but he's far more interesting than he first appears. And loads of credit to the entire cast: Dunst is strong, and Isaac is a fine match for Mortensen. But back to that ending: The film really deserves something better.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the characters in The Two Faces of January. All of them seem to be trying to con each other. Do you trust any of them? Are any of them intended to be role models?
How is drinking portrayed in the movie? What about smoking? Is it OK to have lots of smoking in a movie if it takes place during a time when smoking was more widespread/accepted? What impact does that have on modern viewers?
Why do you think Rydal is hanging around with the married couple? What does he want?
Movie details
- In theaters: September 26, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: January 13, 2015
- Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac
- Director: Hossein Amini
- Studio: Magnolia Pictures
- Genre: Thriller
- Topics: Book Characters
- Run time: 97 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: some violence, language and smoking
- Last updated: March 13, 2020
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