Directed by Jacques
Audiard - Written by
Jacques Audiard, Tonino
Benacquista
Starring Vincent Cassel,
Emanuelle Devos
Distributed by Magnolia -
2001 - 115mins - Rated R
TC Candler's Review
A-
No
New Taxes...
'Read My
Lips' is a suspenseful film that crosses 'Mute
Witness', 'Amelie' & 'Rear Window' very
effectively. If you want to sit on the edge of
your seat for two solid hours, then this is the
film for you. It has elements of a romance and a
heist movie, and it blends them supremely well
with fascinating and fully developed characters.
This was a joy to watch. It is a 'Hitchcockian'
tribute that would have made the late great
director very proud.
Emmanuelle Devos delivers an astonishing
performance as the insecure and naive deaf girl
who is desperately searching for excitement and
companionship. It is clearly one of the best
performances of the year. She is so powerful
here... easily doing enough to induce true
compassion and sympathy. Vincent Cassel seems to
be in every French film of note for the past
three years... and based on this, it is easy to
see why he is so coveted.
Roger Ebert said he was sure that this film
would be remade by Hollywood within the next few
years. I really hope they do a good job with
this one because a mass audience should be able
to see such a well crafted film. It is a shame
that most filmgoers are too blinkered to seek
out quality filmmaking like 'Read My Lips' just
because it has subtitles and lacks a $30 million
ad campaign.
I highly recommend this nail-biting romantic
thriller!!!
