Tell Tale [DVD] [2009] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Let me first make something clear: "Tell Tale" actually has nothing to do with "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. In Poe's short story, a murderer is haunted by the sounds of his victim's beating heart. In the film, the recipient of a heart transplant shares a supernatural connection with his deceased donor, and seeks to unravel the mystery of his murder. The film only emphasizes the heartbeat when single father Terry sees someone that the victim did.

The film is directed by Michael Cuesta, who previously directed episodes of Dexter and Six Feet Under. It's produced by Tony and Ridley Scott, and even though they aren't listed as directors, I found it interesting that the film borrows direction techniques from Man on Fire (A Tony Scott film).

I've enjoyed work by Josh Lucas in the past (Glory Road, Sweet Home Alabama), but he simply doesn't stand out in this role. On the other hand, Brian Cox (Bourne Identity, Braveheart) absolutely steals the show as Van Doren, the detective following every move Josh's character makes. Michael K. Williams (Omar Little from The Wire) seemed a promising inclusion in the film, but has virtually no screen time.

The downside to the film is that it's not incredibly original. Return to Me was a 2000 movie that deals with the bond between a heart transplant recipient, and the man who loved the deceased donor. 1995's Jeff Goldblum film Hideaway also explored supernatural connections between accident victims. Beyond the concept issues, the twist that occurs during the film serves only to point out a major plothole (the most I can say without spoiling it).

This movie is worth renting, though I wouldn't consider buying it until after you've watched it once. Light on originality, but with some solid acting by Brian Cox, this makes for a decent weekend rental.

Tell Tale (Michael Cuesta, 2009)

This is another of those pleasant-surprise films that simply disappeared into the ether. It showed at Tribeca, failed to find an American distributor, and went straight to DVD a year later. On the other hand, successful festival runs in other parts of the world led to theatrical releases in France, Singapore, Greece, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Australia... and the list goes on. Why is it that other countries are so able to recognize the worth of smaller American films, while those of us who like to see things on the big screen are so often spoon-fed the lowest common denominator? (I already think I know the answer to that question, but I'm hoping if I keep asking it, the studios who refuse to take chances on intelligent, low-budget movies like this will get the hint.)

This is, in fact, an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", but it's not one you're likely to recognize. Scriptwriter Dave Callaham (The Expendables) turned the story on its head; in this case, we have a heart transplant patient who has also gained some of the memories of the donor, who was murdered. Terry (Poseidon's Josh Lucas), said patient, becomes obsessed with solving the donor's murder. Problem is, he's becoming somewhat divorced from his own reality, which places a strain on his relationship with Elizabeth (300's Lena Headey, currently filming the Game of Thrones adaptation for HBO), his daughter Angela (Toy Story 3's Beatrice Miller)'s doctor. It's not enough Terry's got a bad ticker, his kid has a nasty, and incredibly rare, genetic defect. Not a lucky family by any means, right? So maybe it's not all that bad a thing when Terry starts gaining not only the donor's memories, but also his personality. (Here's a great example of possession for you: his blood type changes to the donor's. According to the doctor in the film, it's rare, but does happen; I have yet to be able to substantiate this with my own research.) Certainly not in the eyes of Sergeant van Doren (Red's Brian Cox), the lead detective on the case. Why not let the inspired amateur do all the work for him? Problem is, the donor doesn't just want answers, he wants revenge.

I've only touched on the cast here, which also includes Michael K. Williams (The Road) Ulrich Thomsen (Adam's Apples), Jamie Herrold (Natural Born Killers), Dallas Roberts (Walk the Line), and a host of other luminaries you'll probably recognize just enough to say "hey, I know that guy, but can't place him...". They're all good actors, and they all turn in solid performances here. Well, almost all. Headey stretches probability a few times, though that is less a function of her acting ability than it is the script needing her to not kick this guy to the curb. She does the best she can with the movie's main weakness. The mystery angle is solid, and while you probably won't be terribly surprised by it (it's a common enough urban legend that I can think of at least three films off the top of my head that use it), it matches up with everything that comes before it. Callaham knows how to write a mystery. Which kind of surprises me given his other output; this is by far the best work he's ever produced. Cuesta, on the other hand, is solid through and through, having turned in the movie L. I. E. and long, successful stints on both Six Feet Under and Dexter. You probably missed this one the first time around, unless you live on the Lower East Side. It's worth discovering now. *** ½

There was something satisfying about the way the main character kept offing those who had killed his heart donor. But most of the time it was difficult to figure the story, and we were painfully aware that all the actors (but most particularly the female doctor who was the love interest), kept swallowing their words so that none of us could hear what was said. Regarding the confusing plot, one of the people with whom I was watching is a cardiologist - well, all of us are certified to be quite intelligent and experienced watchers of art flicks.... I think by the end we understood where the story was headed but were definitely underwhelmed.

BTW, this Blu-ray DVD apparently lacks subtitles. We looked for those, as they might have helped us understand the mumbled lines.