Some movies are slow-burns. Quiet and menacing, building slowly to a nerve-wracking confrontation or shocking reveal. Based on the Spanish/Argentine 2009 Best Foreign Language Oscar winner, Secret in Their Eyes certainly aspires to reach the same dramatic heights as the original film. Unfortunately, this version of the story doesn’t quite gel. Somehow, its low-key and muted approach doesn’t build much momentum or conflict, leaving one unmoved by the otherwise tragic events.
As you may have imagined from the title, just about all of the lead investigators are hiding some form of inner torment. For Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor), it is unrequited love directed at his boss Claire (Nicole Kidman). But for co-worker Jess (Julia Roberts), it is a much more painful loss, as she discovers that her teenaged daughter has been murdered. Cut between two time periods, the plot jumps from the initial murder investigation to 13 years later, when the case-obsessed Ray believes he has finally located the prime suspect.
The performers are all extremely talented and do their best to display anguish and/or regret in their faces. So why doesn’t it work as well? It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly. The characters are so soft-spoken in this movie that dialogue is practically whispered between one another. The leads keep their emotions completely in check and there are only a few big outbursts – they’re so rare that they ultimately come across as jarring, especially after the somnambulism that has preceded it. The contrast makes the emotional beats feel too theatrical and takes one out of the story.
And while it attempts to lift the same kind of heft with its themes of punishment and carrying painful secrets over a lifetime, this adaptation of the story has ultimately been given a glossier Hollywood treatment. There’s less personal reflection and more traditional thriller elements (including an additional suspect) have been added to create more excitement and action, or at least an extra chase and additional shootout.
Even a manhunt in Dodger Stadium ends up straining credibility. While the scene does exist in the other version, this time out it doesn’t feel as believable (given the larger, more populous surrounding). The chase itself climaxes with a character doing something so irrational that it’s flat-out difficult to fathom. Unlike the original tale, supporting characters are given their just desserts and the ending ties up every little thread and loose end. Once again, the approach slowly chips away at the believability and rawness of the story.
If you are completely unfamiliar with the original tale, you may be more forgiving. The cast are strong enough to keep viewers watching, but this remake ultimately comes across as dramatically flat. In Secret in Their Eyes the dramatic wheels spin, but never fast enough to grip the pavement, leaving the viewer at a distance for the majority of the running time.