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Where The Truth Lies (2005)

Director: Atom Egoyan

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From Time Out London

This adaptation of a novel by Rupert Holmes finds the ever-intriguing Atom Egoyan working in a more mainstream vein than usual. On the surface at least, it’s a slick mystery set in the 1970s, when Karen (Alison Lohman), an openly ambitious journalist hoping to hit the big time, investigates what exactly caused a massive rift between Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth), partners in a hugely popular Martin-and-Lewis-style double-act, at the very peak of their success in the late ’50s. The death of a beautiful young woman in their hotel suite seems to have had something to do with it; still, both men had been cleared of the crime…

Egoyan fans won’t be surprised to find plenty of ideas floating around among the whodunnit elements, allowing for wry reflections on fame, power, corruption, sex, money, trust and betrayal, public image and private reality. Potentially very rich pickings, then, but it must be said that, with the exception of Bacon’s predictably fine performance and a solid turn from Firth, the execution never quite lives up to the material’s promise. There are some striking set-pieces and the film always looks attractive but some of the dialogue, especially, is very clunky, and the tortuous narrative – which keeps switching a little too relentlessly between perspectives and eras – has a number of sticky moments. In the end, its an entertaining confection, and far from unintelligent, but there sadly remains a distinct impression of there being less here than meets the eye.

Author: GA 2005-11-28 12:39:52

Time Out London Issue 1841: November 30-December 7 2005