''Secret in Their Eyes'' is a 2015 American

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

written and directed by Billy Ray and a remake of the 2009 Argentine film of the same name, both based on the novel ''La pregunta de sus ojos'' by Eduardo Sacheri. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor,

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

and

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...

, with Dean Norris, Michael Kelly,

Joe Cole Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as on ...

and

Alfred Molina Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British-American actor known for his work on the stage and screen. He first rose to prominence in the West End, earning a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Pla ...

in supporting roles. The film was released by

STXfilms STX Entertainment is a mini-major American entertainment and media company. Founded in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds, the studio produces film, television, and digital media projects. In April 2020, STX announced that it would merg ...

on November 20, 2015. It received mixed reception from critics, who praised its performances but compared it unfavorably to the original.

Plot

In 2002, shortly after 9/11, Ray Kasten, a

counterterrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...

agent for the FBI, and his friend Jessica "Jess" Cobb, an investigator for the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

district attorney's office, meet new ADA Claire Sloan. Jess and Ray receive a call about an unknown female body found in a dumpster near a local

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...

, which Ray has been investigating for possible terrorist links. At the crime scene, both are devastated to discover that the victim is Jess's 18-year-old daughter, Carolyn, whose body has been bleached inside and out to destroy DNA evidence of both rape and murder. Ray, who was supposed to meet Carolyn to plan a surprise party for Jess, feels responsible for what happened to her, while Jess feels the increasing need to move out of the city. While helping Jess pack, Ray notices pictures from a picnic thrown for law enforcement in which a young man is seen staring at Carolyn. Ray scans the photo and matches it to Anzor Marzin, who is an

informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informant ...

in the terrorism probe. DA Martin Morales is reluctant to go after Marzin, fearing it would compromise the terrorism investigation. Officer Reggie Siefert brings in a suspect named Aban Ghazala, who Ray realizes is not the killer. Ray forces Siefert to admit that he set up Ghazala as a patsy to protect Marzin. Ray and Detective Bumpy Willis track down and arrest Marzin at

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ...

. Claire argues with Ray over his methods while seemingly defending Marzin, saying he wasn't capable of the crime. Claire taunts Marzin, provoking him to expose himself and punch her, saying he's going to give Claire what Carolyn got. Ray beats Marzin, which leads to Morales ordering Marzin released. As Marzin gloats, an enraged Ray suggests they kill him before he gets away, but Jess refuses to go that route, saying death would be too easy on him. After his release, the police find Marzin's van, but Siefert burns it to destroy the evidence against Marzin. Thirteen years later, Ray, now head of security for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

, returns to Los Angeles and reunites with Claire, now the DA, while Jess, who has been asocial since the loss of her daughter, is Claire's top investigator. Ray has found a man named Clay Beckwith, who he believes is Marzin living under an alias. The investigation eventually leads to a shootout with Beckwith in which Siefert is killed. Beckwith and his men are arrested, but Jess insists that Beckwith is not Marzin. When Ray and Claire pay a visit to Jess's isolated farmhouse, she confesses that she found and killed Marzin thirteen years previously, shortly after Ray left Los Angeles. Later, Ray follows Jess into her barn and discovers that Marzin is actually alive, having been imprisoned in a cage for over a decade. Marzin begs Ray to ask Jess to talk to him. Ray pulls out his gun and leaves it with Jess as he goes outside and starts digging a grave. Ray hears Jess shooting Marzin. The two meet each other with a sense of relief while Claire officially closes Carolyn's case.

Cast

* Chiwetel Ejiofor as Raymond "Ray" Kasten *

as Claire Sloan *

as Jessica "Jess" Cobb * Dean Norris as Bumpy Willis * Michael Kelly as Reginald "Reg" Siefert *

as Martin Morales * Zoe Graham as Carolyn Cobb * Lyndon Smith as Kit *

as Anzor Marzin / Clay Beckwith *

Donald Patrick Harvey Donald Patrick Harvey II (born May 31, 1960) is an American actor. Early life Harvey was born and raised in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, the sixth of eight children. He started acting while attending Lake Shore High School, having performed in sev ...

as Fierro *

Mark Famiglietti Mark Famiglietti (born September 26, 1979) is an American actor, screenwriter, film producer and author. He is best known for appearing in television shows such as ''Hang Time'' and ''Young Americans''. He also appeared in '' Terminator 3: Rise ...

as Duty Sergeant Jacobs *

Ross Partridge Ross Partridge (born February 26, 1968) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer. His most notable work as a director is the 2015 adaptation of the book ''Lamb'', which Partridge wrote, starred in and directed. As an actor, he ...

as Ellis

Production

On January 20, 2015, STX Entertainment acquired the US rights to the film. STX also produced the film.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

began on January 26, 2015, in

. On January 27, filming took place at the

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

Release

STX had initially scheduled the film for release on October 23, 2015, but in July 2015, the film was moved back to its eventual November 20, 2015 release date. The film's first trailer was released on June 30, 2015.

Home media

''Secret in Their Eyes'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

on February 23, 2016.

Reception

Box office

''Secret in Their Eyes'' grossed $20.2 million in North America and $12 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $32.2 million, against a budget of $19.5 million. In North America, the film opened alongside '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2'' and '' The Night Before'' on November 20, 2015. In its opening weekend, it was projected to gross $7–9 million from 2,392 theaters. The film made $170,000 from its early Thursday night screenings and $2.3 million on its first day. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $6.7 million, finishing fifth at the box office.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "''Secret in Their Eyes'' wastes its incredible cast on a remake that fails to improve upon—or even make a compelling case for its own existence in addition to—the remarkable original." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale. Writer Manuel Betancour of Remezcla said the film "offers a textbook example of what often gets lost in translation when foreign films are remade for American audiences."

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Secret In Their Eyes 2015 films 2015 crime thriller films 2015 psychological thriller films 2010s mystery thriller films American crime thriller films American mystery thriller films American police detective films American psychological thriller films American thriller drama films American remakes of Argentine films Films about lawyers American films about revenge Films based on adaptations Films based on Argentine novels Films based on crime novels Films directed by Billy Ray Films set in 2002 Films set in 2015 Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Films with screenplays by Billy Ray STX Entertainment films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films