Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst are both long established Hollywood stars at this point. Dunst, especially, has literally come of age in front of American audiences after her breakthrough role at age 12 in Interview with the Vampire . Mortensen, of course, is no stranger to the spotlight either — well-known as Aragorn in the explosively popular Lord of the Rings franchise. But a new film may offer the public a yet-to-be-seen view of Viggo and Kirsten to the public.
Dunst and Mortensen are currently playing in a taut psychological thriller called The Two Faces of January . The pair play a husband-and-wife team of two American con artists vacationing in Greece. Not a U.S.-born national like Kirsten, Viggo told Salon that he dug deeply into the typical American male psyche of this time period for inspiration.
“But there is that thing, though. That stubbornness: I know what’s best, and America is the best, and you guys in Europe or the rest of the world may be interesting to come and have a look at, but fuck you guys. You’re inferior. I mean, that was the unspoken message. And if you need us to fix your stuff, we’ll do it.”
Two Faces reunites Dunst and Mortensen on the screen for the first time since On the Road , which was a delight for Viggo, reported APP .
“I liked working with (Kirsten) a lot. She’s a really good actress and she always gets her presence in any movie, no matter what genre it is, she lends a little touch of class. There’s something about it, she has a very unique presence in the movies. No matter what character she’s playing, there’s always something really intriguing going on. She’s not only attractive, but she’s also just an interesting actress to look at, to watch work, you want to watch that character develop and you want to see what happens.”
In the film, Mortensen and Dunst meet another American tourist, played by Oscar Isaac, and the game is set for a “who is conning who?” thriller. This is similar fare to Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley , which was also adapted for the big screen. Its plot is one that explaining would, of course, spoil.
The Two Faces of January is the directorial debut of screenwriter Hossein Amini, the mind behind acclaimed arty action flick Drive . Thus far, reviews have been largely positive , with particular praise going to Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen. The film is currently holding a steady 67 on Metacritic .
[Image via Magnolia Pictures]
