The Double Hour Review
By David Kempler
Duplicity Time
When I first heard word of "The Double Hour", it was being compared with the great "
Tell No One". That caught my ear. While it falls short of that superior film, it is a very professionally made noir-type thriller with plenty of fakes and missteps designed to keep you guessing.
Sonia (Ksenia Rappoport) is a chambermaid who in the very first scene comes into a room to clean, only to have the young lady she shared a short conversation with take an unexpectedly drastic action. We quickly shift to Sonia at a speed-dating event, appearing shaken up and very distracted. That's not very surprising, though, considering what she has just witnessed. The final gentleman on the menu is Guido (Filippo Timi). He is mysteriously obtuse and not particularly friendly, yet she is somewhat charmed by him.
Romance ensues, but neither is particularly comfortable or outgoing and there is no real sense of chemistry. Guido is an ex-cop, and we are led to believe that something in his unexplained past has made him dark and distrustful. Sonia gives off a similar vibe. He finally allows her a bit closer by taking her to his job as a security guard at an extremely posh private residence. With things finally starting to smolder, they are interrupted by thieves. When one of the robbers appears set to rape Sonia, Guido springs into action, only to be gunned down and killed. Or, did it not happen that way?
Giuseppe Capotondi, in his directorial debut, starts throwing wrenches into the story that play with Sonia's mind. Is Guido really alive? Is he stalking her? Why is she so terrified all of the time? What is really going on? Most of this sleight-of-hand works quite well, with lots of intended tension being generated.
There are a lot of worthwhile things here, but the ending felt particularly disappointing. It just didn't ring true to me. Guido steps out of character and allows events to unfold without intervening. I suppose you could say that Capotondi never let us really get close to Guido so how could we know what he would do in any particular situation, but that would be weak. "Double Hour" is a nice grounds-rule double but not a home run smacked deep into the bleachers.
