The secret in their eyes : A Juan José Campanella film with tremendous mass appeal as well as numerous loopholes.

Rating: 6/10 (18 October 2014)

It is due to films made by veteran directors Fernando Solanas, Eliseo Subiela, Hector Alterio, Adolfo Aristarian, Maria Luis Bamberg etc that Argentine cinema continues to enjoy considerable fame among specialized film festival audiences and knowledgeable general public. In many ways, that tradition of success is being carried on by a group of young directors including Juan José Campanella whose films are quite popular in USA. However, 'The secret in their eyes' is a major disappointment as it ends up being a weak work of cinema with numerous plot related shortcomings. One glaring error is that Campanella's film does not concentrate on one particular theme. It flits amblingly from novel writing by a retired legal counselor to his desire to find love from his former lady boss and his willingness to learn more about a highly intelligent criminal who is believed to have perpetrated a heinous rape as well as murder. Apart from showcasing an important 'entertainment' content for viewers, director Campanella's film succeeds in depicting a certain equitable idea of justice with "ethical implications". This idea leads this film's protagonists to pursue 'justice' till the very end. Finally, things happen at such a frantic pace that viewers are left with no choice but to think highly about sixth Babylonian king Hammurabi and his famous adage "an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth.