Tell No One (2006)

By CinemaSerf

Paediatrician “Beck” (François Cluzet) is about to have a midnight swim with his wife “Margot” (Marie-Josée Croze) when he hears her scream and then gets clobbered over the head and falls into the water. Eight years later, we discover that she has been murdered and that a stranger was convicted of the crime. Every year, this now single man visits his former in-laws on the anniversary of her death - only this year he’s more disconcerted than usual. That’s because he received a mysterious email that has sewn the seeds of doubt over the entire incident. Quite suddenly, for him, things are starting to not add up - and it’s not just for him, neither. When a couple of bodies are dug up near the lake, the gendarmerie start to reconsider the safety of the earlier verdict and focus more on her spouse and, perhaps, a €200,000 insurance pay out. As the cops close in on him, he seeks the help of the father of one of his patients - a man familiar with both sides of the law, and together with her erstwhile best friend “Hélène” (Kristen Scott-Thomas) starts to wrest the truth from an increasingly conflicting series of sources. We are gradually drip fed some clues, some red herrings and plenty of blind alleys as this thriller gradually gathers a pace that leaves us questioning just about everyone, and everything - not least, is “Margot” actually dead? As the sleuthing from both police and “Beck” continues, he finds himself having quite perilous encounters with the Périphérique, some thugs and a brutal antagonist who could easily be a “Bond” villain. As it nears it’s denouement, though, I felt the wheels came off a bit. For most of the first two hours, it was a well paced drama that intrigued and puzzled, but as the threads come together I was reminded of one of those Agatha Christie stories where stacks of unknown facts about characters - some peripheral and some more central - reveal a degree of connectivity that, though still quite effective, are all just a little undercooked. Beck delivers an energetic effort throughout though, the dialogue helps convey just about everyone’s frustrations and the mystery generally holds up well.