Tell No One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		2.0

Tell No One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 20, 2009

Guillaume Canet’s fantastic thriller “Ne le dis à personne” a.k.a “Tell No One” (2006) arrives on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom courtesy of Revolver Entertainment. In addition to two exclussive interviews, the disc contains the same supplemental features found on the French release.

I need answers

The story of Tell No One revolves around Dr. Alex Beck (François Cluzet, Fin août, début septembre) whose wife, Margot Beck (Marie-Josée Croze, Deux jours à tuer), is killed during a romantic trip in the French countryside. In the beginning, Dr. Beck is considered a suspect but, later on, we learn that there are specific circumstances that have forced the police to conclude that he could not have killed his wife (such as the fact that Dr. Beck is discovered unconscious at the crime scene and consequently spends three days in a coma before he wakes up and learns that his wife has been killed).

Eight years later. Dr. Beck is living a normal life. He still thinks about his wife, but, most of the time, his work at the hospital keeps his mind at ease. He is also single and has absolutely no desire to get back into the dating scene.

One day, Dr. Beck receives an intriguing email containing a link to a recording showing a woman who looks like his deceased wife. The recording is of very poor quality and doesn’t show much but it has a profound effect on him – he begins to believe that the woman could be his wife.

Things get complicated when Dr. Beck starts questioning all sorts of different people who once played a part in Margot’s life. His lesbian sister’s (Marina Hands, Lady Chatterley) lover (Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long) attempts to assist him, but the more he digs up, the more frustrated he gets. Dr.Beck does learn, however, that Margot had a lover and that shocks him.

In the meantime, the Police reopen the case; there is new evidence that immediately moves Dr. Beck back on their suspect list. A powerful attorney (Nathalie Baye, Le Petit lieutenant), with a long and very impressive resume, also gets involved, but instead of staying close to her Dr. Beck runs away. Obviously, this angers the attorney and gives the police a reason to believe that he is indeed their man.

More strange things happen. Dr. Beck gets a second email with an even more revealing message. While running from the police, he is also assisted by a thug who owns him big because years ago the doctor saved his kid’s life. A powerful senator (Jean Rochefort, Le Mari de la coiffeuse) with an obsession for horse racing, whose son knew Margot very well, is also introduced to the story. Finally, Dr. Beck meets Margot’s father (Andre Dussollier, Les Enfants du Marais), a retired police captain, who believes that his son-in-law is innocent.

Based on the novel by Harlan Coben and directed by Guillaume Canet, Tell No One is a fascinating thriller that never seizes to surprise. Indeed, the film is so well scripted that even when the audience is presented with all of the missing pieces of its enigma, few would be able to correctly align them. Its pacing doesn’t make it easier either; especially during the second half of Tell No One, where all of the flashbacks from Margot’s past are introduced, you really have to pay very close attention to every small detail if you wish to avoid being shocked at the end of the film.

The acting is also top notch. Francois Cluzet is spectacular as Dr. Beck and undoubtedly the key reason why Tell No One works so well. On the other hand, we don’t see much of Marie-Josee Croze, but her presence is always felt. Also, Nathalie Baye appears only a few times but her edgy performance adds quite a bit of flavor to the story. Finally, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jean Rochefort, André Dussollier, François Berléand, Olivier Marchal and Guillaume Canet play their small but very important parts to perfection.

Tell No One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080/50i transfer, Guillaume Canet's Tell No One arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Revolver Entertainment.

Before I get to the technical analysis, I would like to quickly note that this disc has been encoded in 1080i/50, which is the reason why I have marked it as Region-B "locked" (most every US TV set cannot accept 1080/50 signal, and one needs to have a player capable of outputting 1080/50 signal - native Region-A players don't - to access the disc's content).

This being said, the basics for the transfer appear to be intact – contrast and clarity are very much comparable to what the French release of Tell No One reveals. The same could be said about the color-scheme. Furthermore, there isn't much edge-enhancement that I could spot, even though the print for the UK release occasionally looks a bit rough. I also did not spot any overly disturbing debris, dirt, or specks to report in this review. This being said, there is a serious amount of "ghosting" on this UK release. Especially during fast action scenes (the chase scene from the second part of the film is a great example), you would immediately notice its presence. As far as I am concerned, this is quite disappointing to see, given how consistently strong all of Revolver Entertainment releases have been thus far.

Tell No One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and French LPCM 2.0. I opted for the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the French LPCM 2.0 track.

The French disc we reviewed for the site contains a French PCM 5.1 track. This being said, the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 is practically identical to it. A lot of the subtle special effects noticeable in the surrounds on the French PCM 5.1 track sound identical to me on the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (I tested the lake scenes). On the other hand, dialog is pleasingly crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Balance is also convincing. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review. For the record, the English subtitles are imposed. They appear inside the image frame.

Tell No One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Making Of – this is exactly the same featurette that is found on the French disc (even the imposed French subtitles are ported), Harlen Coben, the author of Tell No One, talks about the film adaptation and how actor-director Guillaume Canet approached it. Later on, the director also shares his thoughts on the film while we see plenty of raw footage from the shooting process. Also, there is footage from Studio Labo M2 where the film's soundtrack was recorded. Finally, there are plenty of scattered comments from the cast addressing the film production. (AVC, 56 min).

A gallery of deleted scenes and outtakes – all of these deleted scenes and outtakes are subtitled in English, but the optional commentary by Guillaume Canet that was available on the French disc has not been ported. This said, all of the deleted footage is offered as one long piece. (AVC, 34 min).

Lost Shots Of The Action – more deleted footage from the production of the film. Subtitled in English. (AVC, 4 min).

Interview with Guillaume Canet – an exclusive interview with the French actor (in English) where he talks about the film, its story and message. (AVC, 5 min).

Interview with Kristin Scott Thomas – another exclusive interview with the British star where she talks about how she was approached by Guillaume Canet and what it meant to her to be part of Tell No One. (AVC, 4 min).

I Can't Sleep - Guillaume Canet's short film subtitled in English. (The film was also available on the French disc, but it was not subtitled in English). (AVC, 10 min).

Trailer – (AVC)

DVD Easter Egg – the footage has been directly offered on the Blu-ray disc. (AVC, 9 min).

Tell No One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am not impressed with this Blu-ray release. Its encoding has created all sorts of issues that should have been avoided. On the other hand, it is great to have all of the supplemental features from the French release with English subtitles. Revolver Entertainment have even added up two short but nice exclusive interviews with Guillaume Canet and Kristin Scott Thomas. Still, if looking to add Tell No One to your collections - even if you are based in the United Kingdom - I strongly recommend that you opt for the French, Region-Free and English-friendly Blu-ray release.