Highsmith * 2

Had two nice random Patricia Highsmith sightings in the past month or so. Put on Deep Water a while ago and missed the opening credits. Nice, well-paced murder mystery – but hey, main guy is more anti-hero than usual. Oh, right (after checking IMDB), based on a book by her. Last night, another random selection, The Two Faces of January, mostly just because it starred Oscar Isaac and Viggo Mortensen. This time I caught the 'based on a novel by' credit and again, a tightly scripted, atmospheric, noir-esque mystery, well set in Athens, Crete, and Istanbul. (and, trivia note, starring leads from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Spiderman (via Kirsten Dunst!).

Extra: And also watched Thirteen Lives, a terrific, economical, fast-paced, and quite understated telling of the Thai kid's soccer team cave rescue.  Viggo stars with Colin Farrell as the main expert cave rescue divers. Also with Joel Eggerton (which makes this one, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Batman). I imagine that the title is also a nod to Ron Howard's Apollo 13, both high-pressure, technically challenged rescue missions.