Written by: Hossein Amini
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac, Yigit Ozsener, Daisy Bevan
Rating: [4/5]
Travelling to a foreign nation brings enough stressors as a tourist as you might not know the language and culture to blend in. Compounding that with any real issues that come up makes for any disturbance to be a grand inconvenience. As The Two Faces of January displays one of the worst circumstances one could get themselves into when abroad and it makes for a mysterious and twisty story boasting some tremendous actors.
While on vacation in Greece with his wife, conman Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen) encounters someone sent to collect for a victim of one of his schemes. After acidentally killing the man, he receives help from a man they met earlier, Rydal (Oscar Isaac). As they flee the scene the stress of what they have all encountered tests the trust they have in each other and the implications it has for their futures.
Any film that stars the likes of Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac, and Kirsten Dunst will have my immediate attention despite whatever plot accompanies them. Luckily, with The Two Faces of January, we receive something quite fun to experience as it operates as a feature that goes in directions one would not expect. A film content with keeping its audience on its toes and with all of the weaving involved it ends in an area befitting the content of the feature.
When one of the main characters of the film dabbles in conning individuals, him having enemies should surprise no one, but it also indicates this person cannot have much trust placed upon them. They lie for a living meaning they would have absolutely no issue applying the same treatment to anyone else they encounter, especially a stranger. This makes the circumstance for Rydal quite dangerous. He gets thrust into the lives of Chester and Colette (Kirsten Dunst) accidentally and he needs to proceed with extreme caution if not he could find himself either in a body bag or behind bars. Therefore the rest of the feature plays out in a manner where we wait for the shoes to drop and who will ultimately hold the upper hand over the other and this film certainly does not disappoint.
Utilizing Greece as the background for this story features two major tourist hubs such as Athens and Crete. Of the many things that can be assumed, plenty of tourists are one, and scamming opportunities serve as the other. These individuals operating as tourists prove quite integral to how they navigate this situation. Identification such as their passports, which serve as the gateway in and out of the country play a huge factor as to their actions. Being foreigners leaves them in a place of general unease and with everyone’s feelings already on high alert, this film comes full of tense moments where we have no clue what action these characters will take next.
Taking place in the summer months, the heat captured in this narrative comes out on full display showing how much it weighs on these characters. It also plays into the way they dress and how the stress and the heat ultimately impact it. In the first scene in which we see Chester and Colette interact with Rydal, we see the couple in beautiful white clothes. Certainly, a show of the wealth they possess even if we can question through what means they achieved it. The way it then contrasts with how they appear later in the film makes for a fantastic contrast only compounding how steep of a hole they have found themselves in.
With this trio of actors game for what this story presents them, Viggo Mortensen ultimately stands out amongst the rest of the bunch. The man knows how to play a mysterious character and he does it so well with Chester. By default, we trust him the least as a character because of his trade of conning others. Mortensen plays right into this by exuding the mysteriousness of Chester in such an alluring manner. Every look he gives matters and not a single word he says can be taken at face value. Truly a fascinating role for him and not one he plays often. Isaac and Dunst fall into this web of his and they each more than hold their one as can be expected.
Quite the fun little dalliance through Greece except for the murder and the backstabbing, The Two Faces of January gives us exactly what one could want from a twisty little story. We have three strong actors going head to head in a story that never really lets its foot off the pedal in creating tense circumstances and having us doubt what we see transpiring right before us. Everything wraps up in a way that will satisfy and it serves as a valuable vehicle to learn the lesson about the importance of keeping hold of one’s passport even when stress sits at an all-time high.
Films with Josh 
