Rent The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
3.9 of 5 from 658 ratings
2h 4min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- When a retired criminal prosecutor decides to try his hand at writing a novel he finds himself inextricably drawn into the harrowing events of an unsolved crime. Re-investigating the brutal rape and murder of a beautiful woman he discovers devastated lives, corrupt government officials and a lost love. But as he delves deeper he finds himself at the dark heart of society, where mysteries lurk in the shadows and danger waits around every corner.
- Actors:
- Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Carla Quevedo, Javier Godino, Bárbara Palladino, Rudy Romano, Alejandro Abelenda, Mario Alarcón, Guillermo Francella, Sebastián Blanco, Mariano Argento, José Luis Gioia, Juan José Ortíz, Kiko Cerone, Fernando Pardo, Maximiliano Trento, Sergio López Santana, Elvio Duvini, David Di Napoli
- Directors:
- Juan José Campanella
- Writers:
- Eduardo Sacheri, Juan José Campanella
- Aka:
- El Secreto De Sus Ojos
- Studio:
- Metrodome
- Genres:
- Drama, Romance, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 2011, CinemaParadiso.co.uk Through Time, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Nicole Kidman, New waves of Latin American Cinema, Top 10 World Cinema Remakes, Top Films, What to watch by country
- Countries:
- Argentina
- Awards:
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Reviews (12) of The Secret in Their Eyes
Wonderfully entertaining Argentinian film - The Secret in Their Eyes review by PV
This is a wonderful film - highly entertaining and unusual. It keeps up the pace and has a cracking twist ending - though the writer of the novel should get the credit for all that! The acting is top notch - the drunk assistant especially - the flashbacks work well, and the scenes are interesting. My only gripe would be the romantic subplot - this kind of thing works better in novels than films. When that plot strand came along it intruded a bit into the story - but not enough to spoil it. Why can't more films - from anywhere - be like this? Five stars!
8 out of 11 members found this review helpful.
Intelligent, thought-provoking stuff - The Secret in Their Eyes review by Mehitabel
I discovered this film through word-of-mouth recommendations, and since seeing it I've been adding to the groundswell. Tellingly, of the people who recommended it to me, one said it was a murder mystery, one said it was a biography and one said it was a love story. It's a bit of all of these.
To my mind, it was also a meditation on ageing,memory, whether real or false, and on the prisons we build for ourselves. Yes, our hero (if that's the word!), Esposito, a retired cop, is writing an autobiography and yes, it's about an old rape and murder case, which has played on his mind for twenty years. His investigation started with an old photograph of the victim, being watched from behind by a college-mate.. Too many ends were left untied, and now, as he writes his book, he tries to tie them up, with the help of an old police buddy and his former boss.
The role played by the old buddy, Sandoval, a philosophical drunkard, gives the film not only its funniest moments, but its most touching. There are several layers to Esposito's relationship with his former boss, the wonderfully named Irene Hastings; there are no clichés.
I have no idea why this film has an 18 cert. There is one rape scene, near the beginning, which is neck-upwards, lasts a matter of seconds, and is very pertinent. There is also a shot of the photo of the body (naked) also onscreen for a few seconds. And that's it.
My only other quibble is that at the outset, Esposito's assumption about who is, or rather isn't, the murderer seemed too quick, glib and unexplained. But I'd recommend anyone to see this film. It stays with you for a long time - in a good way.
7 out of 7 members found this review helpful.
Fantastic all-rounder - The Secret in Their Eyes review by JD
This gem is sort of a whodunnit but has angles of romance, action and memorable philosophy/morality. There is a slow quiet tension that keeps a constant draw to the plot. The acting is outstanding the plot wonderful.
4 out of 5 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
The Secret in Their Eyes (aka El Secreto De Sus Ojos) review by Siva Kumar - Cinema Paradiso
This Spanish language film directed by Argentine director Juan Jose Campanella is a crime thriller based on a novel. The story starts with a retired criminal investigator Benjamin who is not convinced about the outcome of one of his past homicide cases.
While his meeting with former superior Irene, he informs her about his decision to write a novel based on the case. Benjamin also had a crush on Irene when they worked together in various cases. The film continues with the unfinished murder case and the untold love.
The film travels with equal importance for both the unfinished case and the untold love.
Ricardo Darin as Benjamin has delivered a wonderful performance and so does Soledad Villamil as Irene. The emotional sequences handled by these two lead actors are quite amazing. The story mainly deals with crime and love. This kind of narration needs special skills to deliver the essence of both genres to the audience.
The movie has many other characters with some lively acting. For instance, the alcoholic assistance of Benjamin played by Guillermo Francella has done a decent job.
What makes the movie exceptional is the powerful narration of the director. Some moments are very much intense and the acting is quite clever.
Cinematography is another important area in which the film scores exceptionally well. There are some scenes which make you wonder how the camera work is done without special effects. The movie has the right mix of emotion, suspense, love, humor and thriller. The movie scores well in almost all departments and this makes it a worthy watch.