As you may remember, in advance of its release, we were as down on “Let Me In” as anyone. The guy who did “Cloverfield,” remaking one of the best-reviewed horror films of recent memory, less than two years after its release, starring the irritatingly precocious kid from “(500) Days of Summer?” No thank you. When we caught it, however, we found that the film was at least as good as the positive buzz around it: faithful to the original where it matters, while cutting back the fat and expanding on the interesting bits, it’s a model of how to do a remake, and may even, over time, prove to be the superior version. Of course, no one saw the thing, but there we go…
As a result, we’re going to be a little more cautious before we get on our high horses about the news that Billy Ray (“Shattered Glass,” “Breach”) has been hired by Warner Bros. to write and direct a remake of last year’s winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, the Argentinean thriller “El Secreto De Sus Ojos,” or if you prefer, “The Secret In Their Eyes.” The plot involves Benjamin Esposito, a retired criminal court investigator who’s haunted both by an unsolved murder, and by his unrequited colleague for his former boss, and is told through a tricksy dual structure, cutting between 1999 and 1974.
It took a little while for us to be won over by the film when we saw it: there’s a few jarring stylistic choices early on, and settling into the film’s rhythm requires a little effort. But by about the midway point, and were convinced that the film was one of the better executed, more emotionally engaging thrillers that we’d seen in a long while, with a truly killer ending. And so long as veteran screenwriter Ray, who’s also writing the movie version of “24,” and rewriting “Hunger Games” for Gary Ross, takes some tips from the Matt Reeves playbook (for instance, don’t try and recreate the film’s indelible money shot, it won’t work), there’s no reason this can’t match the original.
Our biggest concern is that Ray’s directorial efforts have been strong, intelligent efforts, with great performances, but a little dry emotionally, and we’re concerned that the film’s love story may get lost among the plotting as a result. It’s also unclear if the film will be relocated to the States, or if it’ll pull a “Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” and keep it in Argentina — the political subtexts to the original get fairly short shrift, so there’s no reason it couldn’t be moved, necessarily. There’s no word on a start date, or any other talent involved as yet. [Deadline]
