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Tell No One
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Wikipedia article
'Tell No One' is a 2006 French neo-noir thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. Written by Canet and Philippe Lefebvre and starring Franois Cluzet, the film won four categories at the 2007 Csar Awards in France: Best Director (Guillaume Canet), Best Actor (Franois Cluzet), Best Editing and Best Music Written for a Film.
Plot
Eight years since the apparent murder of his wife Margot by a serial killer, Dr. Alexandre Beck has slowly been putting his life back together. However, Alex finds himself implicated in a double homicideeven though he knows nothing of the crimes. The same day, Alex receives an email that appears to be from Margot, which includes a link to surveillance footage that shows his late wife looking alive and well; the message warns Alex that they are both being watched. As Alex struggles to stay one step ahead of the law, henchmen intimidate Alex's acquaintances into telling them whatever they might know about him, eventually killing a friend named Charlotte. In the meantime, Alex's lesbian sister Anne persuades her well-off partner Hlne to hire a respected attorney, lisabeth Feldman, to handle his case.
Margot attempts to arrange a meeting with Alex by sending him an email that he must read in an internet caf to avoid being spied on. Before this meeting can take place, a warrant is issued for Alex's arrest for the murder of Charlotte. Alex goes on the run whilst his friends and lawyers struggle to find out the truth about the murder and Margot's reappearance. As he is being pursued by police officers, Alex is rescued by Bruno, a gangster from a rough part of the city who feels he owes Alex a favor. The mysterious henchmen reappear to prevent Alex's meeting with his wife, but he is rescued once again by Bruno. Margot is seen almost escaping on a flight to Buenos Aires. lizabeth proves that Alex has an alibi for Charlotte's murder thanks to eyewitness accounts at the internet caf.
Alex notes the numerous mysteries about his wife's deathmysterious photos of her covered in bruises and traces of heroin in her body. He soon discovers that Margot's father faked her death: Margot had discovered that Philippe Neuville, the young son of a local aristocrat, was a pedophile rapist whose activities were covered up with help from the police; when she confronted him, Philippe beat her, causing the bruises. Margot's father explains that he walked in on the beating and shot Philippe. The elder Neuville hired thugs to kill Margot; having tapped the phone call, Margot's father doubled the payout for one of the thugs to fake her murder instead, kill the other thug, and knock out Alex in the process. After shooting the second thug and burying both, Margot's father used the body of a dead heroin addict to stand in for Margot's.
Police, listening in on the father's confession, attempt to arrest him, but he shoots himself dead before they can do so. It is revealed that Margot's father knew Alex was wearing a wire, and that during a moment in which he had blocked the bug's transmission had told Alex one last thing: it was in fact Margot who shot Philippe after he beat her; her father was covering up her crime, not his. His actions have ensured that she will never be suspected. Philippe's father is arrested, and Alex and Margot reunite at the lake where they fell in love as children.
Cast
* Franois Cluzet: Alexandre Beck
* Marie-Jose Croze: Margot Beck
* Andr Dussollier: Jacques Laurentin
* Kristin Scott Thomas: Hlne Perkins
* Franois Berland: Eric Levkowitch
* Nathalie Baye: Matre Elisabeth Feldman
* Jean Rochefort: Gilbert Neuville
* Marina Hands: Anne Beck
* Gilles Lellouche: Bruno
* Philippe Lefebvre: Lieutenant Philippe Meynard
* Florence Thomassin: Charlotte Bertaud
* Olivier Marchal: Bernard Valenti
* Guillaume Canet: Philippe Neuville
* Brigitte Catillon: Captain Barthas
* Samir Guesmi: Lieutenant Saraoui
* Jean-Pierre Lorit: Lavelle
* Jalil Lespert: Yal Gonzales
* ric Savin: The prosecutor
* ric Naggar: Pierre Ferrault
* Philippe Canet: Franois Beck
* Danile Ajoret: Madame Beck
* Laurent Lafitte: The Basque
* Martine Chevallier: Martine Laurentin
* Thierry Neuvic: Marc Bertaud
* Mika'ela Fisher: Zak
* Anne Marivin: Alex's secretary
* Sara Martins: Bruno's friend
* Franoise Bertin: Antoinette Levkowitch
* Andre Damant: Simone
* Pierre-Benoist Varoclier: Nurse 1
Production
The script made several alterations to the book; a torture expert changed from an Asian male to a white female, and the identity of the killer was switched. The book's author was quoted in an interview as saying that the film's ending was better than his original ending.
Reception
'Tell No One' was well received both critically and commercially.
Academy Award-winning British actor Michael Caine said of the film it was the best he had seen in 2007 on the BBC's 'Film 2007' programme. He also included it among his Top Ten movies of all time in his 2010 autobiography, 'The Elephant to Hollywood'.
Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes gives 'Tell No One' a "Certified Fresh" rating of 94% based on reviews from 104 critics. Metacritic give the film 82/100 based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".Box office
The film generated $17million in ticket sales during its first four weeks at the French box office. In total, the film grossed $22,194,261 in France becoming the 12th highest-grossing film of the year with 3,111,809 tickets sold. Music Box Films acquired the rights to the film and gave it a limited theatrical release on July 2, 2008. The film opened in eight theaters grossing $169,707 during its opening weekend. In total, the film grossed $6,177,192 in North America.Top ten lists
The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008.* 1st: Marc Doyle, Metacritic.com
* 2nd: Marjorie Baumgarten, 'The Austin Chronicle'
* 7th: Kimberly Jones, 'The Austin Chronicle'
* 7th: Marc Mohan, 'The Oregonian'
* 7th: Shawn Levy, 'The Oregonian'
* 8th: Stephen Holden, 'The New York Times'
* 9th: Kenneth Turan, 'Los Angeles Times'
* 10th: Ann Hornaday, 'The Washington Post'
* 10th: Owen Gleiberman, 'Entertainment Weekly'The Jeff Buckley version of the song Lilac Wine, from his album Grace (1994), was used as background music in the film.
References
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