This is a Hollywood adaptation of a 2009 Argentinian film with the same title (+ The).  The earlier film is a masterpiece which won the Best Foreign Film Oscar; the ending still haunts me to this day.  Now Billy Ray has written and directed a remake, cast with all-stars, that tells the same story, but switches the framework to Los Angeles just after 9/11.  While Hollywood has a sad record of screwing up really good source material from other countries, I am happy to report that this remake is a terrific film that, while not as good as the original, can stand in for viewers who will never bother to catch the first one.

A detective (Julia Roberts) falls apart after her teenage daughter is found raped and murdered, and the creepy guy who killed her gets away.  But thirteen years later her former partner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) returns, saying that he has found the guy.  He urges the District Attorney (Nicole Kidman) to reopen the case; he also reconnects with Kidman because he has been in love with her since he first saw her way back when.  Old wounds are reopened and the case takes turns no one sees coming.

The basic story is exceptional, and Billy Ray has done a nice job transferring it to contemporary Los Angeles.  It is inherently dramatic, with the unrequited love story between Ejiofor and Kidman threatening to overwhelm the murder investigation, and the tracking down of the suspect when he gets away.  Numerous flashbacks fill in the story gaps and provide context, both personal and political.  And then there is the ending, which is simply stunning in the original, though not quite as good here (perhaps because I knew what was coming).

Roberts is great in the scene when she finds her daughter; she is good after that, but the role dictates a certain restraint.  On the other hand, Chiwetel Ejiofor is great throughout, and his relationship with Kidman’s character is the film’s highlight.  It is perfectly handled.  Michael Kelly is wonderfully despicable — as a cop! — and Dean Norris adds panache as another investigator.

This film is superior to many other contemporary Hollywood films, and I highly recommend it.  It does suffer a bit in comparison with the original, and the fact that it is a remake seems to be holding it back commercially.  It is PG-13, and might also suffer from not being as graphic as the material might warrant.  Nevertheless, it is definitely worth seeing. ☆ ☆ ☆.  13 December 2015.