How far would you go to get justice?
If you’re a fan of Law and Order-esque suspense and overdrawn movies, then Secret In Their Eyes is the movie for you. The film is the American remake of the 2009 Academy Award winning film, El Secreto En Sus Ojos, directed and written by Academy Award nominee Billy Ray (The Hunger Games, Captain Phillips).
The film takes places in both current day and post 9/11 Los Angeles. Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 years a slave) plays Ray Kasten, a counter terrorism FBI agent along side Julia Roberts who plays his partner Jess. Ray and Jess form a very tight knit bond and respect each other equally. While investigating a mosque that may pose a potential threat to the United States, Ray and Jess are interrupted when a murder occurs right next to the mosque, potentially ending the investigation.
But when the murder victim turns out to be Jess’ teenage daughter, things start to go down hill. Ray is able to find a suspect in the case with the help of his buddy Bumpy (Dean Norris), but when that suspect turns out to be an untouchable informant in the mosque investigation, Ray has to seek help from Claire (Nicole Kidman), the new district attorney supervisor. He also happens to have a crush on her. Hoping that Claire could help him get justice for Jess’ daughter, Ray goes to extreme measures to get Mr. Untouchable prosecuted.
However his attempts fail and he has to decide whether or not to take matters into his own hands to get justice for Jess and her daughter. 13 years pass after the initial investigation and Ray, now working as head of security for the New York Mets, returns back to Los Angeles in hopes of finally putting this case behind him. All the events that take place in the movie are drawn out but the great performances will keep you engaged. And if that doesn’t keep you glued to the screen then the twist and turns in this suspense thriller will definitely keep your attention.
Secret in Their Eyes is out in theaters now.
-Natia Sanchez