"You should have been an actor!" An ironic conversation between two British acting legends, Anthony Hopkins and Derek Jacobi, both liars, but for different reasons. One is with good intentions, and the other is for pure evil. It's right after the end of World War II, and Hopkins is using an alias to visit his old home, having switched identities with a dying man in a Nazi prison so he could live and the man's sister would inherit his house. Kristen Scott Thomas is the sister, living in Hopkins' old home with her ailing mother.
When Hopkins shows up, he pretends to have known her brother but lies about his real identify, knowing that the name of "Chavel" would bring on pain since it was his name the brother died with. Along comes Jacobi using the name of "Chavel", and it becomes a game of cat and mode between the two acting legends of keeping the truth secret and each other utilizing their knowledge against each other for their own benefit. It's only when Jacobi goes too far that Hopkins must fight as dirty as Jacobi did.
This version of the novel by Graham Greene is a powerful war drama set both during and after the war, and obviously the two commanding actors work extremely well together. Scott is a lovely heroine, yet feisty when she gets angry, spitting in Jacobi's face when he identifies himself. The film is quite sly in revealing all of the twists and turns, and the supporting cast is very good, although rather limited to the men in prison with Hopkins (obviously wrongly imprisoned), Scott's mother and a doddering old vicar. Beautiful production design adds to the mood, highlighted by the photography and musical score.
When Hopkins shows up, he pretends to have known her brother but lies about his real identify, knowing that the name of "Chavel" would bring on pain since it was his name the brother died with. Along comes Jacobi using the name of "Chavel", and it becomes a game of cat and mode between the two acting legends of keeping the truth secret and each other utilizing their knowledge against each other for their own benefit. It's only when Jacobi goes too far that Hopkins must fight as dirty as Jacobi did.
This version of the novel by Graham Greene is a powerful war drama set both during and after the war, and obviously the two commanding actors work extremely well together. Scott is a lovely heroine, yet feisty when she gets angry, spitting in Jacobi's face when he identifies himself. The film is quite sly in revealing all of the twists and turns, and the supporting cast is very good, although rather limited to the men in prison with Hopkins (obviously wrongly imprisoned), Scott's mother and a doddering old vicar. Beautiful production design adds to the mood, highlighted by the photography and musical score.