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Tell No-One (Ne Le Dis A Personne) [2006]
 
Tell No-One (Ne Le Dis A Personne) [2006]
Tell No One is that rare thing, a French thriller that bears all the hallmarks of a Hollywood remake, only with the French left in. There's no actual time to ponder the glossy look and feel though, as François Cluzet's stoic but grief-stricken widower Alex races to clear his name, when the case of his wife's murder is reopened after eight years. This set up is wound even tighter upon his receipt of an email, seemingly from his wife, instructing him to follow those titular instructions.

What follows is a nerve-tugging chase movie - making best possible use of Harlan Coben's source material - as Alex ducks and weaves between shady underworld goons, a gang of surprisingly helpful thugs and two laid back detectives, all of whom help raise the game of cat and mouse to dizzying heights. The twists and turns are many, and even though the story is a little too long, and its reveal steeped in a Miss Marple-sized helping of exposition, the film's emotional centre remains intact to the very last scene. While a big studio remake of Tell No One won't be short on A-List appeal and big noisy action, matching this film's mix of thrills and heart will be a rare feat indeed. --Luke Mawson

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Customer Reviews for Tell No-One (Ne Le Dis A Personne) [2006]
A Disappointing Mess posted on 2009-01-01
I can see I'm out on a limb here, but I'll say it again. This film, so full of promise, is a mess. Not only that, it thinks it's so much better than it is - witness the longest end credits in cinema history and the fact that an entire second DVD is given over to extras. It's not so much that the plot is convoluted and confusing it's that the director has so little grasp of span and structure, so little sensitivity to mood and nuance.

Now I don't know where to stop. The cinematography is ugly, but not in a good way and, most unforgivably of all, the characterisation is woeful. There's no one here that convinces, not even the hero's pet dog, though that's not his fault. And if the police are going to feature prominently in your story make sure they don't look like they've just come off the set of 'Carry On Detective' (or whatever the French equivalent is).

So is there anything to like? The Bullitt-cum-French Connection-style pursuit - unusually a footchase - is well staged and gripping (though even that descends into make-belief towards the end). That's it for me, I'm afraid.

It's always been clear to me that when the French are on form they make the best films in the world. In this case it's a possibility that the makers have got carried away with their source material, Harlan Coben's American novel of the same name. Perhaps it just doesn't translate into the French idiom. Who knows. But what I do know is that throughout an overlong 126-minute film I was yearning - craving, in fact - for a French thriller that both grips and delights at the same time.

So here are just three that show how it should be done and as such have no peers: 'L'Appartement', 'Betty Fisher and Other Stories' and, most recently, 'Spiral' ('Engrenages'). For in the end it causes me no pleasure to say that any one of these masterpieces puts 'Tell No-One' squarely in the shade, or worse, to shame. Go out and discover them.
 
Cherchez La Femme posted on 2008-10-25
Splendidly adapted from America to France this is a wonderful policier which obeys the rules of giving you all you need to solve the case and then misdirecting you handsomely. If you found Hidden (Caché) a real downer because it failed to finish the story then watch Tell No One to have your faith in French films restored. The plot is strong, the acting effective across the whole cast and the tension is palpable.

Eight years ago Dr Alexandre Beck was assaulted and his wife kidnapped, tortured and killed by a serial killer. So why is he now receiving emails from her? Why are the police after him? Who are the mystery group of assassins tapping his computer? Why are two men buried in the woods near the place his wife died? I have no intention of answering any of this but you are going to enjoy sitting down with a friend or two and puzzling your way through.

We really need six stars for films like this.
 
Tell everyone to watch it posted on 2008-08-25
In adaptation of Harlan Coben's novel, Tell No One tells the story of a man, who 8 years after losing his wife, receives an e-mail from her, and the case of her murder is reopened and the truth starts to reveal itself.

Tell No One is Coben's most recognized and praised novel and so it was only a matter of time before it was turned into a film, and what a great adaptation has been made.

Francois Cluzet stars as Alex Beck, the troubled doctor who lost the love of his life 8 years ago and has struggled with the mystery of her death ever since. Cluzet portrays the character very well, being very quiet and distant, which was what Coben intended.

Having read the book was a huge advantage and a recommendation before watching the film. Reading the book I gained an understanding and clearer picture of what each character was like. Encoded with plenty of characters and a massively twisting plot, it was necessary to flick back a couple of pages to remind myself what was happening, and with the film there is no chance to do so. Come the end of the film, I was completely lost as with the book, but on watching it the second time, the answers will undoubtedly be clearer.

Many films can often ruin the imagination of the book, or leave a huge chunk out. And Tell No One is fantastic for copying Tell No One incident by incident, a true reflection of the book in every word, except for Margot's name.

This romantic crime drama is a must stay awake film with plenty of incidents and characters to get confused with. One problem the film had was the multiple use of characters that didn't seem to have names, as of no way of remembering who they were. Obviously it was easier with the book, to flick back but there barely seemed to be any form of address between characters.

The plot is beautiful in reflecting the genre with tense and exciting moments followed by heart crushing romantic tales in a true natured story about a man trying to find the truth.

8.5/10
 
One of the finest thrillers on film, from an equally fine book. Guillaume Canet and Harlan Coben make a great team posted on 2008-08-10
Says U. S. film critic Roger Ebert: "Here is how a thriller should be made."
Says Stephen Holden of the New York Times: "I watched it twice. It was even better the second time."
Says me: "I couldn't agree more with them." Tell No One, even without the quotes, is one of the best thrillers I've seen in a long, long time.

Alexander Beck and his wife, Margot, both much in love, have gone for a bit of evening skinny-dipping in the country. There's a minor disagreement and she dives back in from the float and heads to the shore. He hears her cry out and swims as swiftly as he can after her. When he reaches the small dock and starts to pull himself out, he's met by a baseball bat. While he's in a coma for three days his wife is found dead with severe bruising and cuts, the marks of a known serial killer. But who pulled Beck out of the water? Who called for emergency medical help?

Eight years later Dr. Alex Beck, a pediatrician, is told by the police that the remains of two unidentified male bodies have been found in the vicinity of where his wife was murdered. Then he receives an e-mail on his computer. The attachment shows a woman leaving a crowded exit. She pauses and looks at the security camera. The picture is fuzzy. The scene ends. Beck has never remarried and still is haunted by the memory of his wife. He is almost sure this woman is she. The message in the e-mail says, "Tell no one. They're watching."

The director and co-screenwriter Guillaume Canet has taken the novel by Harlan Coben and, working with Coben, has fashioned a film at least as good as the novel. The film has been crafted with care. You'd best pay attention to every moment. Irrelevant items turn out to be relevant. Assumptions based on how a scene opens turn out often to be not what they seem, but just as reasonable. Canet (and Coben) don't shy away from violence -- there is a memorable woman you don't ever want to displease -- but the violence isn't just for gee whiz show biz purposes. When violence happens, it reminds us to stay alert. Canet takes us all over the place, from Paris slums to society horse events. He has Beck dancing across a highway filled with speeding cars and then hiding out in a dumpster sharing space with garbage and a large rat. The story is just as complicated as Coben's novel (as all his novels are), but -- if you've been paying attention -- all becomes clear. If the cops are after Beck because they think he may have had something to do with his wife's death, it also may be true that others are after him because they think she might be alive. But why?

Helping immeasurably with the interest and speed of the film are the actors. Francois Cluzet plays Dr. Beck, a capable, resourceful man, but no buff Hollywood hero. Cluzet is not an especially handsome lead actor, and that's all to the good. Surrounding him are such fine French actors as Andre Dussollier as his wife's father, a grieving retired senior cop; Francois Berleand as a sympathetic and smart police officer; Nathalie Baye as a lawyer who knows how to deal with district attorneys; and a fine Jean Rochefort, as well as Kristin Scott Thomas speaking impeccable French as his best friend, a wealthy woman having an affair with his equestrienne sister.

Tell No One is an excellent movie.

I hope you'll pick up of a few of Harlan Coben's mysteries while you're at it. He started out with several books featuring Myron Bolitar (whose best friend, Win Lockwood, is not a person to irritate). Try the first one first, Deal Breaker. Coben lately has moved into darker themes, such as Tell No One. His latest is The Woods. Coben knows how to create intricate but logical plots and strong characters. He's a first-class writer. His books are much better than the usual thriller-every-year bestseller that some authors churn out regularly.
 
Hugely enjoyable posted on 2008-07-14
It's always nice to see a film that's respectful to the book it was based on, particularly when it's a book by such a literate and clever thriller writer. A few nods to Hollywood here and there have no doubt helped this film become more mainstream and well known than the average French film - and it doesn't suffer at all for that.

Atmospheric, great acting, good set pieces, believable characters, some incredible twists and turns - what more could you ask for?

Recommended.
 
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