Tell-Tale (2009)

Bearing only the most tenacious of links to the Poe story, Josh Lucas is convincing enough, nonetheless, as Terry, ,a single dad who has a desperate need to find out where his new heart has come from. A quest that leads him further down the rabbit hole of murder. Brian Cox is, as always, a joy to watch. And although the ending is foreseeable, There're just enough twists and turns along the way to keep my interest piqued and, unlike many films I've seen in the past, after the movie was over I didn't feel like I wasted my time.My Grade: B-Where I saw it: Show time Beyond

I give this movie a perfect 10 out of 10 stars because it is an awesome modernization of Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart...but viewer, be warned...I'm a grown-ass man of 37 years who has been watching horror movies since he was 8 years old...and I almost vomited at one point during this movie! Like my review title says, it's sicker than any Friday the 13th movie I have EVER seen, and I don't know how a certain IMDb reviewer from Argentina found this movie to be "boring"...IT IS ANYTHING BUT BORING!SPOILER BELOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OK...what's gross about this movie? At one point, they have Josh Lucas in a bathtub covered in ice, and they start cutting out his organs...while he's awake! Seriously, I almost vomited! Just trust me when I say it's gross! Again...10 out of 10 stars due to the great plot and ingenious re-telling of the Poe classic...but NOT for the faint of heart! I won't be watching this one again...it's just too gross!!!

Even though it pretends to be a free adaptation of the classic short story The Tell-Tale Heart, written by the great Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the film Tell-Tale is in fact a rehash of the old sub-genus of "malignant part of the body", which includes horror movies such as The Hand, Body Parts and The Eye. Those films showed how an organ transplanted from one body to the other can produce unexpected effects, usually with tragic consequences to the patient (or victim) of the procedure. And even though Tell-Tale has a few positive elements, its tedious narrative and bland drama ended up producing a boring and unsatisfactory film experience.There are two predictable twists in Tell-Tale: the first one is revealed pretty soon, and the other one, at the ending. And besides of that, this film is basically a collection of long and uninteresting scenes in which we see the main character afflicted by events he does not understand; the treatment for his daughter's illness; and the insipid romance he was with a doctor. And the worst thing of all is that none of those elements substantially contribute to the story, and they feel as simple fillers so that the time goes through while there are not murder scenes.Tell-Tale includes elements from a medical drama, a thriller and a horror film which deals with supernatural subjects...however, there is not an adequate cohesion between them. On the positive side, Josh Lucas, Lena Headey, Brian Cox and Beatrice Miller bring solid performances despite having such poor material to work with. So, in conclusion, I cannot recommend Tell-Tale, because I found it to be a very boring movie which lacks of any emotion, impact or suspense.

First off, this is not any kind of interpretation of Poe's story; Modern or otherwise. The only thing similar is that the main character can hear a heart beat, sometimes. Suspense is held throughout the movie! It held my full attention and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. That's all I will say about the actual plot to not spoil anything. There is graphic violence, and overall the film has a depressing mood to it. Why then did I give a 7? The acting by everyone is great..except for the English doctor's! it was horrendous! Her lines sucked and she made me feel awkward. So bad that it takes away from the rest of the movie. Overall, a good flick to check out.