12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hard-to-forget film; give it a chance!, September 23, 2006
I am a fan of several of Atom Egoyan's films, and was curious about the milieu of this one. Since seeing it, I find my mind drifting back to it with some consistency; empirically speaking, I know it affected me on some levels that I'm only dimly aware of. I thought Kevin Bacon's take on a character meant to remind us of the older Jerry Lewis was rich and daring; Colin Firth made an indelible impression as his straight man, the repressed but debonair Brit standing in for Dean Martin's suave Italian-American. Alison Lohman seems not quite up to her key role, and I found myself wondering if Egoyan might have had someone more cerebral like Sarah Polley (he cast her so perfectly in The Sweet Hereafter) in mind instead. A classic whodunit dressed up in artsy chronology, you will find yourself changing your mind a few times about what really happened before the final scenes.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Firth and Bacon give stellar performances, November 2, 2005
I am very gratified that the word of mouth on this film, as found on this site, has been so good. The official reviews have been mixed at best, and the film's release has been severely limited, perhaps due to the ratings controversy.
From what I heard in the audience in NYC, I got the impression that Atom Egoyan's fans expected more from him, something more profound and meaningful, perhaps. As pure entertainment, though, and for style and aura, Where the Truth Lies succeeds admirably. I had read the book before seeing the film, and Bacon and Firth truly nail the characters of Vince Collins (who was Italian-American in the book, but changed to a suave Brit as played by Firth) and Lanny Morris.
The complicated love relationship between the two of them and their use of their celebrity for both good and ill is fascinating. It is too easy for critics to dismiss the film as cheesy film noir when it is so much more than that.
Their breakup as portrayed in the film was as painful as the breakup of any long-term marriage, perhaps more so, as for one of them at least, what lay under the surface had been repressed for so long.
Bacon and Firth give rich, nuanced performances that have been extolled even by those who disliked the film. I've seen the film several times, each time finding something new to admire on different levels. Colin Firth is one of the most gifted and underrated actors of our generation and can say more with facial expressions than most actors can with pages of dialogue. Kevin Bacon delivers a sharp, edgy performance that ranks with his best roles.
I suppose I could comment on the intricate plot, the story told differently through different voices and from different perspectives, but that isn't what made the film so remarkable. "Where the truth lies" is a double entendre, and if you watch and listen carefully, you will enjoy it not only for the entertaining murder mystery, but for what is beneath the surface.
As of this date, it hasn't been in many theaters, but it is worth going out of your way to see. I'm looking forward to the DVD and hope it will be released uncut as Egoyan intended it to be seen.
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17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing, Miscast, Noir Wannabe, March 21, 2006
From the two main leads, I had hoped this film would be good. Unfortunately, it was only engrossing in fits and starts. To begin with, Colin Firth was badly miscast and played his part almost as if sleepwalking. I could get no insight into the man or his motivations. Kevin Bacon was better--and the best part of the movie although not up to his top form. His portrayal of the sleazy Lannie was relatively convincing but he got very little help from the plot or his co-cast members. And Alison Lohman, I'm sorry, was pretty terrible. For someone playing a supposedly junior hot-shot reporter, she was not only slack-jawed and naive appearing, but also irritating. In addition, the plot had her swinging from doe-eyed and innocent admirer to wanton sexual playmate without an iota of believability or back-up character development. The storytelling technique of voice-overs and flashbacks can be effective but in this case I found it primarily confusing and distracting. Overall, what could have been a well-done neo-noir mystery with intriguing twists and turns seemed merely muddy and offputting.
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