Todos tenemos un plan

Viggo Mortensen stars in a film about a man who switches places with his brother. That was all this reviewer knew about this film before seeing it. That was enough to know, to choose to go, and see it.

Film is rated 15 in the UK, it is a Fox film, Argentinian, set in Argentina, and it is in Spanish with English subtitles.

Film opens with Viggo Mortensen living in a rural setting by the river. His life is hard and harsh. By contrast his brother seems to have a charmed life. They are twins. However this film is not 'Twins'. No mismatched brothers like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Danny DeVito. No laughs either. This is not a comedy, but rather a grim crime drama, with some social comment, and a touch of philosophy.

Both twins, both played by Viggo Mortensen, in reality do not have great lives. One is unwell and living in a shack by the river, the other is unhappy with his family life. They meet and a chance to swap places arises. The scenes after the switch are shown from the point of view of the impostor. Like him we know very little and thus always wonder if the act has succeeded or has been suspected.

The acting by Viggo Mortensen is superb, he really convinces in his roles and the two brothers act together in a believable way. The way that Viggo Mortensen acts, is a perfect example of a person acting, as someone, who is acting, as someone different, than he is in reality. Of course this must really be second nature for Viggo Mortensen. The first time this reviewer saw him was as 'The stand-up guy' Lalin in 'Carlito's Way'. The second time was in 'A History of Violence'. So this is familiar territory.

Familiar too, is the backdrop. Like the recent 'Mud', much of this film is set on the river. However whereas 'Mud' was a story about two boys starting on the road to manhood, this film is about men who were once boys. Whereas 'Mud' was lovingly filmed to show honest hardworking families living off the river, this film is very much a more grim mirror-image of that. 'Mud' was a 12A, whereas this much grittier film, is a 15. As the river dominates the film, we see much to-ing and fro-ing in little motor boats. The weather is not nice. 'Promised Land' seemed to be shot in a cool off-season, rather than cool this seems positively cold. No false Spring here.

The movie was filmed well, the scenes with the two brothers seemed real and believable, and as said earlier, the two brothers seemed to interact well together. A lot of films recently, seem to have an awful lot of narration in them, 'Byzantium' is a perfect example of this. By contrast, this film has none of this, none is needed. A memory from the past is used in a subtle way to tell you all you need to know.

While praise is due to Viggo Mortensen for his acting, (he also produced), tribute is also due to the rest of the cast. The two females, one playing a girlfriend and the other a betrayed wife, gave excellent performances. The actor playing the childhood friend, gives a powerhouse performance, which dominates, in every scene he is in.

There is a 'Touch of Evil' about this film, as well as 'A History of Violence', mostly though this film has a river-theme like 'Mud', which makes them very similar. An interesting quirk of fate has caused two river-themed films to have come out around the same time. Or are we seeing the emergence of a Tales of the Riverbank genre? This is as good as 'Mud', though a little more adult. If you liked that river film, or 'A History of Violence', you will like this. 10/10.

Everybody Has A Plan marks the fourth Spanish-language film for Viggo Mortensen, who spent a number of years in his youth living in Argentina. His latest project finds him playing identical twin brothers in the film noir from Argentinian first-time feature director Ana Piterbarg, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

The premise: Agustín (played by Mortensen) would appear to have the ideal life. He's a pediatrician with an attractive wife (Claudia, played by Soledad Villamil) living quite comfortably in Buenos Aires. The couple's plan to adopt a baby derails when Agustín changes his mind at the last minute, leading to a huge rift that brings to the surface the true unfulfillment that Agustín feels with his life. In the midst of a depressive episode where Agustín decides to lock himself in a room, Claudia leaves for some time away and Agustín soon receives a visit from his estranged twin brother, Pedro (also played by Mortensen), a beekeeper who reveals he has terminal lung cancer. Certain circumstances lead to Agustín eventually escaping his obligation-filled existence and assuming his brother's identity, taking up residence in Pedro's rundown shack in Argentina's Tigre Delta island region where the brothers grew up. A romance develops with one of Pedro's much younger bee farm helpers (Rosa, played by Sofía Gala Castaglione), while Agustín becomes caught up in the fallout from Pedro's past criminal affairs with some shady locals.

Mortensen is solid as the brothers, who only share a few scenes simultaneously. Sometimes it could be difficult telling them apart, although the Pedro character tended to be a little more rough around the edges and frankly, I couldn't distinguish the characters' subtle accent differences Mortensen talked about using at the post- screening Q & A. Regardless, his comfort level with the Spanish language is certainly never an issue. Villamil and Castaglione turn in quite fine supporting work, but Daniel Fanego as the proverbial villain is a definite weak link in the film. Other than looking rather creepy, I found the role underwritten and the actor lacking in screen presence.

Piterbarg and cinematographer Lucio Bonelli do a nice job of capturing the dank and swampy atmosphere of the isolated delta area, which not surprisingly is a magnet for criminals and outcasts and makes for a nice backdrop for the malfeasance that drives the narrative. The director also specifically lets a number of questions hang, adding to the film's mystery, but occasionally there's some story choices that are befuddling. Most glaring are the ease with which Agustín sells to others that he's Pedro, as well as the fact that Agustín doesn't bolt after being beaten by locals thinking he's Pedro, just shortly after arriving in the Tigre Delta.

Everybody Has A Plan's flaws, not the least of which also includes some overly languid pacing, results in a decidedly unremarkable viewing experience.

I wasn't expecting much out of this film because of the user ratings. But oh boy I was wrong! I still do not understand those that rated the movie so low. Viggo Mortensen does an amazing job- the movie is mesmerizing and grim. The shots are amazing; excellent photography and attention to the detail. The story line is also very original. The setting in the delta region of Argentina adds to the "mystic" aspect of the story and it's the perfect setting for such a film- making you feel almost uncomfortable at times. I really enjoyed watching it. Yes, it's slow paced, but I think it is on purpose, since it adds tension to and suspense at the same time. Very enjoyable if you like good cinema.

I'm ashamed of this movie cause I'm from this country. This movie is really bad. I feel sorry for Viggo cause he is an excellent actor. I only put 6 'cause of him

As big Viggo fans, we desperately wanted to love the movie. And it has a lot going for it: a flawless production (rarely a given in Argentine films) which is perfect on atmosphere, beautiful camera work in every single frame, and impressive acting all around. I strongly disagree with Buenos Aires Herald critic Julio Nakamurakare's statement that Viggo Mortensen is "light years away from his sterling performances…." He should give it another viewing and look harder. Viggo Mortensen is actually playing three characters, Pedro the lowlife from the Tigre Delta, his twin brother Agustin, a prestigious pediatrician and – Agustin pretending to be Pedro. He pulls off a fabulous job, offering an array of subtle nuances which give each character its own distinctive shading. Soledad Villamil (of The Secret in Their Eyes fame) is wonderful as Agustin's wife Claudia, but her character kind of falls to the wayside much too soon. Daniel Fanego is predictably great as the bad guy and Sofia Gala Castiglione is the big surprise as the tough gal from the swamps. These are the good points in this story (and the reason why I give it 7 points) that starts out as a thriller (a murder in the Delta), continues as an intimate character study (a man's midlife crises – maybe, though that's open to interpretation), then slides into an off-and-on suspenseful tale of swapped identities, botched plans, some more character study and a rather far-fetched slapped-on love story, all of it sustained by some brilliant scenes and brought down by many mediocre ones. Unfortunately, all this does not come to a satisfying end. Instead, we came down with a thud at the end, confused, irritated and full of questions about loose ends. This movie is not Dogma or Nouvelle Vague or some indie experiment, it is classical story-telling, but for that there is just not enough on motive and background. So sorry, Ana Piterbarg! Luckily you will have the chance to get it right next time. And the time after. Hopefully. Anyway, judging from the post-show ladies room comments, people do love the movie! And yes, Viggo rocks!