Jesus, that was fast. With production beginning today on "The Two Faces Of January," the filmmakers haven't wasted any time in getting the buzz going around the film, with the first pic of the two leads Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen arriving.
Marking the directorial debut of "Drive" writer Hossein Amini, the movie is based on the book by famed novelist Patricia Highsmith ("The Talented Mr. Ripley"), and follows a con artist (Mortensen) who is forced to flee Greece with his wife (Dunst) after accidentally (or not) killing a police officer. An American tutor agrees to help him out, and all three hightail it to Istanbul. And oh yeah, playing that tutor? Oscar Isaac. So yes, the movie boasts a pretty great leading trio, some promising source material and a director looking to make his name. Color us very intrigued. Here's the official synopsis:
1962. A glamorous American couple, the charismatic CHESTER MACFARLAND (Mortensen) and his alluring younger wife COLETTE (Dunst), arrive in Athens by boat via the Corinthian Canal. While sightseeing at the Acropolis they encounter RYDAL (Isaac), a young, Greek-speaking American who is working as a tour guide, scamming tourists on the side. Drawn to Colette’s beauty and impressed by Chester's wealth and sophistication, Rydal gladly accepts their invitation to dinner.
However, all is not as it seems with the MacFarlands and Chester’s affable exterior hides darker secrets. When Rydal visits the couple at their exclusive hotel, Chester presses him to help move the body of a seemingly unconscious man who he claims attacked him. In the moment, Rydal agrees but as events take a more sinister turn he finds himself compromised and unable to pull himself free. His increasing infatuation with the vulnerable and responsive Colette gives rise to Chester’s jealousy and paranoia, leading to a tense and dangerous battle of wits between the two men. Their journey takes them from Greece to Turkey, and to a dramatic finale played out in the back alleys of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar.
"The Two Faces Of January" will have an international release on December 18, 2013. No domestic details yet, but a fall festival bow next year? We'd bet on it.