[7.00/10] The Secret In Their Eyes (2009)

El secreto de sus ojos

a.k.a.

The Secret In Their Eyes (2009)

This Foreign Language Oscar winner is about a retired investigator wants to write a novel about a 25-year old unresolved brutal rape/murder case that affected him the most. He reconnects with the people associated with the case to get insights about his writings. In the process, he discovers more about this cold case, as well as about his own self and his relationships. Juan Jose Campanella may be an acclaimed director in Argentina, but his combination of murder mystery, romance and drama just wears thin being nothing more than just good. From the unremarkable beginning, the plot moves along at a nice, if leisurely pace. The murder case gets solved quite early on, although whodunit isn't obvious, and it takes a while to track him down. There are some fantastic football stadium shots, then some other unexpected stuff happens, followed by a satisfying twisty end. Sandwiched into this are the developing relationships between the various participants. In "El secreto de sus ojos", where character arcs are as important as the plot, nobody lets the side down. The acting from Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, in the three major roles, is competent, believable and engaging. Tchnically, "The Secret In Their Eyes" is artfully shot taking advantage of dazzling cinematography and set pieces. All in all, "The Secret in Their Eyes" has quality and good ideas, but I never felt I was watching something more than a good movie. It was solid, but far from great!

• My Rating: 7.00/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (7.2/10)
  
• IMDb: 8.4/10