Dir: Atom Egoyan. Starring: Kevin Bacon, Alison Lohman, Colin Firth, Sonja Bennett, Rachel Blanchard, Kathryn Winslow.
Atom Egoyan's Canada's second most famous director (after a certain Mr Cronenberg), yet few know his films well. Perhaps it's because they’re normally complex affairs, many being studies of humanity at their lowest ebbs. And perhaps it's because of the stark and often cold tone to his films, or maybe it's just because the more intelligent movies so rarely get seen by a lot of people. Where The Truth Lies is Egoyan's most conventional movie to date, but also his best, and hopefully will rectify the above situation.
It flits between the nineteen fifties, where comedy double act Lanny and Vince are hosting a telethon, before later finding a dead body in their hotel suite, and the seventies, where journalist Karen O’Connor attempts to discover whether the duo had anything to do with the death. The film has most of the elements of a classic film noir flick, but it rises out of the genre by creating very real characters in a very real and fucked up situation.
Kevin Bacon turns in a career best as Lanny, whilst the normally rather dull Colin Firth gets to exercise his acting muscles for a change, turning in a surprisingly complex performance as Vince, a man struggling to keep his anger contained, and other secrets as well. Alison Lohman's character is not just a narrative device to push the plot forward like such roles in film noirs often are, either. Often dull in teen fare, Lohman shows promise here, she's the weakest of the
For the first time in his career Egoyan's created a sumptuous film, it looks so good it's intoxicating at times, but it's not just a case of style over content, the look of the film suits it's subject matter perfectly. His greatest success though is in creating a satisfying closure to the film, something which he hasn't always chosen to do in the past.
Where The Truth Lies is a fantastic little gem then, a complex murder mystery with a great cast of characters, and if you wish films stretched your intellect a little more these days, it’s a must see.
Alex Finch.
Agree / Disagree with this review? Then tell us on the garbled forums.
Contact Us - About Us - Recommended Links - More Links - Forums - Search This Site