A sexy, modern spin on the already seductive 1963 classic Charade, The Truth about Charlie--with quirky camera angles and a heart-poundingly fast pace--surprisingly manages to live up to the original.
For Regina (Thandie Newton), a sophisticated Frenchwoman, life is turned upside down following the murder of her husband, Charlie. Her bank account is mysteriously emptied, and she doesn't know whom to trust. With the help of her suave and handsome, but not quite trustworthy, love interest (Mark Wahlberg), she attempts to solve the mystery of her husband's murder and discover-- yup-- the truth about Charlie.
The character of the film is as twisted as you would expect from a Jonathan Demme vehicle, but he is clearly having fun in this film, a deviation from his other more self-important films such as Beloved. The setting, sprinkled with French pop culture references and Parisian inside jokes, is a tribute to everything glamorous and French.
However, Charlie is not merely a fluffy romance, dependent on its kitsch--it is an intense psychological drama with very human characters. The flaming chemistry between Thandie Newton--who plays Regina with just the right mixture of innocence and polish--and Mark Wahlberg sets the heart on fire.
If you're a fan of Charade, you may view Demme's take on the film as an overblown attempt at a Hollywood blockbuster, but for the uninitiated, Charlie is a fall suspense flick of the first order.
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