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Secret in Their Eyes
2015 111 min South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America PG-13 18+
★5.9
Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Director: Billy Ray
🎭 Based on
«The Question in Their Eyes»
byEduardo Sacheri
Trailers
Description
A tight-knit team of FBI investigators, along with their District Attorney supervisor, is suddenly torn apart when they discover that one of their own teenage daughters has been brutally murdered.
Budget:
$19.5M
US Gross:
$20.18M
Worldwide:
$34.85M
Starring
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Actor
Nicole Kidman
Actor
Julia Roberts
Actor
Awards
2 wins & 3 nominations total
Key opinion
This American adaptation of the 2009 Argentine thriller struggles to balance a star-studded cast with a script that many viewers find sluggish and over-rationalized. While the final twist and strong lead performances, particularly by Julia Roberts, earn praise, the film is widely considered inferior to its predecessor due to pacing issues and a loss of the original's raw emotional depth.
| Acting | Julia Roberts delivers a powerful, emotionally resonant performance as a grieving mother that stands out as the film's strongest acting contribution. | |
| Ending | The final plot twist is widely regarded as an effective and surprising conclusion that retroactively validates the film's narrative journey. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is criticized for being overly reliant on exposition and unnecessary flashbacks that stall the narrative development. | |
| Direction | The direction fails to capture the raw emotional intensity and logical coherence of the original film, opting for a colder and more detached tone. | |
| Pacing | Opinions on the pacing are split: some find the slow, contemplative tempo necessary for building psychological tension, while others find it dull and prone to excessive filler. | |
| Acting | The performances of the other leads are viewed inconsistently; while Chiwetel Ejiofor is seen as competent but underutilized, Nicole Kidman’s portrayal is debated between those who find her performance solid and those who find it stiff and indecisive. |