Deceiver (1997)

This one has probably been on my list for four years and it was finally on TV.

The film was a bit long-winded in the first hour and I started to panic, but fortunately the film recovered. The last half hour was very good and still contained a serious twist.

The acting performances were very good by all three actors and despite the fact that the film takes place in one space almost the entire time, this did not bother them.

Too bad about the first hour, because otherwise this would have been a really great film.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Re-seen after many years (I had written that earlier comment from memory) and the film remains tight. Only the intro with the IQs is unnecessary, it takes a while before it really gets going and here and there it is too clichéd how the detectives act.

But the plot becomes more and more fascinating, good acting (except for the young Renée Zellweger), the whole film has a dark atmosphere, the fact that there are few locations works effectively and the manipulative approach of Roth works excellently, also because you see certain things differently afterwards. Audiovisually it is subdued but the plot 'compensates' for that, a typical nineties psychological film like The Game and The Usual Suspects. I still have a soft spot for Deceiver, I had estimated the four stars I gave earlier quite well.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Interesting triangular drama that takes place almost entirely within the walls of a police station where suspect Tim Roth is being interrogated by detectives Chris Penn and Michael Rooker. Captivating acting performances and beautiful photography. The whole thing is bathed in a noir atmosphere, both in terms of content and visuals. Lots of shadow, blinds, occasionally skewed expressionistic camera angles, sepia colours ... The reversal of characters and the dubious boundary between who represents the good side and who represents the bad side. Noir lovers will find something useful here. At times I wondered whether it was all that credible with certain coincidences. But I was certainly able to go along with it far enough.

Translated from Dutch · View original