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The Double Hour is a very interesting film. One of those rare pictures in which every scene counts. It's hard to review it without spoiling anything, since a lot of it's brilliance lays in a very surreal and terrifying sequence of events. The film is a lot of things; a twisted thriller, a unique and intense romance and a character study of two different individuals who find exactly what they need in each other. It works on every level that it attains towards, thanks primarily to a very intelligent script and superb performances from Filippo Timi and especially Kseniya Rappoport. The film has a lot of twists and a lot of, "what the hell is happening?" scenes, but thanks to the script it never gets too far ahead of the audience. It's easy to stick with, while still being intellectually stimulating. I wasn't bored for a second, from the huge shock of the opening scene until the interesting final one. There's a lot of great aspects that are involved throughout, the film really knows how to give it's two main characters some very emotional and enlightening arcs. They both go through a world of emotional distress and in the end they are completely changed while remaining in the same basic place that they started off. It asks a lot of questions and leaves the audience to debate them long after the film is over. Can you ever truly trust someone? What is the nature of revenge? How do you move past losing a loved one? There are many more and the film keeps you guessing all the way through. Tons of twists, great characters and interesting moves from a structural standpoint. It's a very unique film and a very fantastic one.

Fans of Alfred Hitchcock and followers of the more recent "Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" series, would likely be pleased with this nail-biting psychological thriller from Italy, which delivers many unexpected twists during its 96 minutes of running time.

If suspense isn't your cup of tea but you enjoy art films with non-linear and unpredictable plots, you'll probably end up drinking the whole pot of this satisfying brainteaser from newcomer director Giuseppe Capotondi.

"The Double Hour" is actually a love story between a lonely immigrant, Sonia (a chambermaid at a high-end hotel in Turin) and the also lonesome Guido, an ex-cop working as a security guard at an art dealer's estate. The two meet at a speed-dating event and just as they are beginning to fall in love, a crime happens, and their relationship is cut short.

But before that, during their first date, Guido looks at his watch, which marks 23:23, and he tells Sonia that it's a double hour and that she should make a wish. This detail early on, serves as a metaphor for the double life of the characters and the double storyline of the film you are about to embark on. And it's details such as this one that you need to pay attention to, because every one of them is important to decipher this riveting puzzler that won't let you get too comfortable in your seat.

Acted to perfection by Ksenia Rappoport and Filippo Timi "The Double Hour" is making its way quietly now through art-house theaters in the United States. Don't miss it!

Greetings again from the darkness. Suspenseful thrillers, when well done, are just about as much fun as one can have at a theatre (unless you are Pee Wee Herman). The debut film from director Giusseppe Capotondi is very well acted, and pretty well written and filmed. It has some similarities to, but is not quite at the level of one of my Top 5 movies from 2008 - Tell No One.

Filmed in Italy (with English subtitles), the film does a terrific job of sucking us right in. Guido (Filippo Timi) and Sonia (Ksenrya Rappoport) meet at a speed dating event. He is a former cop now security guard, and she is a Slovenian immigrant working as a housekeeper at a swanky Italian hotel. Love blossoms for these two until the story takes a very dark turn. That's when all the twists and turns and misdirection begin.

Really not possible to talk too much about what happens, other than to say the characters and events aren't always what they seem. I really enjoyed the first two acts of the movie, but felt letdown a bit by the final act. Some of the visuals are very good, but the wrap up is just a bit disappointing. Still, the first 80 minutes or so are terrific and make the film worth watching.

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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This taut, splendidly acted and directed thriller knows how to play its audience. You can't help but want Sonia, a chambermaid whose life exhibits some bad karma, to pick lost-soul Guido out of the crowd at speed dating. Finally, something positive seems to go their way. But if so, why am I jumping at the least provocation, and what is making me feel so uneasy? Of course, it's a good kind of uneasy.

It's first-rate suspense. Every little detail seems to count, coming back later in the form of an I- get-it-now moment.

I don't know who their competitors were, but Filippo Timi and Kseniya Rappoport earned their best acting awards at the Venice Film Festival, as did the director Giuseppe Capotondi. Did they miss the deadline for submission into other film competitions? Did they forget to sign the forms? I can't understand why it didn't enter and win more accolades. It could have been an Oscar contender for foreign language film, it is that good.

Kseniya Rappoport stars in "The Double Hour" (La Doppia Ora), a 2009 film.

Very reminiscent of David Lynch, the story concerns ex-cop Guido (Filippo Timi), who seems to be a chronic speed-dater. On this particular night, he meets someone he feels he can actually date, Sonia (Rappaport), who works as a hotel chambermaid. The relationship develops. However, as we slowly learn more and more about Sonia, she isn't all that she seems.

The plot isn't all that it seems, either, and as the film goes on, we see both dream and reality emerge.

Like Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, and Cache, The Double Hour is a fascinating film, where things are not always as they seem, and what goes on underneath is far more interesting. Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, if you're a fan of Lynch or Michael Heneke, you will enjoy this film.

All I can say about this film is that it ultimately made no sense to me whatsoever. Perhaps I'm just not smart enough for it, so go ahead and watch it and judge for yourself. If, at the end, you feel like you've completely wasted your time, then we're in the same boat, and I apologize for not having prevented you from watching it.

Yes, the film is suspenseful and competently acted. The lead is is attractive and sympathetic. But like so many thrillers the plot doesn't stand up to scrutiny. It has more holes than Blackburn Lancashire. More important, it is psychologically implausible. So the film manages to be both suspenseful and frustrating and the viewer keeps holding on in the desperate hope that it will redeem the investment of enduring being manipulated by it by offering some sort of satisfying resolution (not to be confused with a happy or phony "Hollywood" style ending). No such luck. You leave the theater feeling used. I go to see these Italian (and French) films in the hope that the former spirit of great filmmaking will be revived. Unfortunately, I haven't seen even a good, let alone great, Italian film since the best days of Roberto Benigni.

The basic plot is sound; Sonia (a Slovenian immigrant) and Guido (an ex-policeman) meet and connect at a speed dating event, they start a relationship, then an unexpected happening changes everything, including what we know (or seem to know) about the characters and their motivations. Unfortunately, the script throws in a number of unnecessary red herrings and intentional misdirections. Some of them are just distractions, some are not even explained at the end, at least one is not explainable. Not a good thing in this kind of movie.

On the positive side, direction by Giuseppe Capotondi is fluid and dynamic, acting is excellent with special mention for Russian actress Kseniya Rappoport, who is on screen most of the time. One cannot avoid feeling that if the script had been edited and unnecessary complications pared down this could have been a first rate movie. As it is, one remains unconvinced and feels manipulated at the end.

Argentine nostalgics will enjoy a photographic view of Puerto Madero, one of the touristy spots in Buenos Aires.

The Double Hour feels hollow. There are elements involved which if properly connected, could lead to a well constructed film, but they aren't. I do not want to give too much of the plot away because a certain level of secrecy is necessary to enjoy it instead of waiting for pre-planned twists. After seeing this film, I read the reviews of particular critics and most of them kept the secrets, that is, except for Stephen Holden of the New York Times. If you read his review before seeing The Double Hour, there would be absolutely no need to sit through it because he gives the entire thing away; the jig is up.

Sonia is a hotel chambermaid in Turin, Italy. She is routinely morose, most likely from something in her past and the fact that she is strikingly lonely. To help her find a friend or more, she tries speed dating and is strikes up a friendship with Guido, an ex-cop who is still trying to define his widower status three years after the fact. Sonia and Guido take baby steps towards the semblance of a relationship until their lives are drastically altered during a robbery. This is where my plot description stops. Revealing too much of a film noir thriller does nothing for the eventual audience except take away their guessing games during the film.

The couple's relationship and their back and forth interactions are surprisingly effective. Both actors playing Sonia and Guido received best acting honors at the Venice Film Festival, but the somewhat non-congruous film and choppy supernatural elements do not match their acting standard. The director and screenwriters show a lot of future promise, but the Double Hour just misses the mark. To explain the title, a double hour is particular time of day when the clock matches, such as 12:12. It is said that wishes sometime come true at a double hour.