This film is mildly recommended.
I miss Alfred Hitchcock. His films were carefully constructed thrillers that would rarely let the moviegoer down. His pacing, editing, camera angles, and most importantly, his script, kept logic intact while entertaining and building suspense. There were always concluding set pieces that became memorable parts of cinema history: a chase on Mount Rushmore, a runaway carousel, a fight aboard a high speed train, an attack of stark-raving mad ravens. As I sat watching the Italian import, The Double Hour, my thoughts yearned for his deft director's touch on this film's intriguing premise.
Directed by newcomer Giuseppe Capotondi, the film stars Kseniya Rappoport as Sonya and Flippo Timi as Guido, two lonely sorts who meet at a speed dating seminar. She works as a hotel maid and he is an ex-cop turned security guard and both sense a real instant connection there. That's the beginning of a complex labyrinth that held my complete interest for about three-fourth of the film's length.
This off-beat thriller that becomes more ominous and intriguing every second with plot twists and startling reveals in its intricate plotting. There are twists galore, some minor, some major, and I enjoyed the conceit of the filmmaker in toying with his audience.
Now I love a good mystery and this is one, that is, up until the last few minutes when the mystery unravels and so does all reasoning. Actions are so out of character with Sonya and Guido's arc that the film defies rationality. Incidents that occur in the beginning of the film become random thoughts and really have no bearing in the maze-like structure of the story. The final shot made little sense to me when trying to decode the scheme of events prior to that ending, leaving me with a bitter taste of regret. ( Plus, no memorable set piece is on display when one could have been added in the airport scene to full effect.)
The movie tagline for The Double Hour reads as follows: A Romance. A Robbery. A Mystery. All that is true, and for the most of the time, the film does successfully involve the moviegoer. But, unfortunately, the film ultimately disappoints in the last half hour of the film when all the logic gives way to a very unsatisfying ending.
Sadly, I felt double-crossed and cheated when the end credits rolled. Yes, Alfred would have ironed out all the plot kinks before filming this exasperating thriller. Why have your audience invest their time and emotions in all of the film's intricacies when your overly convoluted plot becomes the major obstacle to the mystery itself. The Double Hour is second rate Hitchcock at best. GRADE: B-
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