fay grim is face tale espionage intrigue told nod wink sequel extraordinary henry fool hal hartley creates surprising blend film noir hardboiled spy thriller starts knowing smile large dose laughter turns poignant warm film ive seen yearbr br parkey posey fay grim unwitting mata hari caught love exiled husband henry fool questionable intentions charming cia operative agent fulbright jeff goldblum master wit sarcasm role seems tailored talents never better james urbaniak fays brother simon jailed renowned wildly popular books poetry love work sister brings jolt passion contrast dour nature spies eventually populate fays world liam aiken fays oversexed  yearold son although may redundant aikens understated style remarkably old soul someone agebr br the entire film shot dutch angle offkilter style made famous orson welles used primarily horror films psychological thrillers impart sense foreboding fay grim using style opening credits closing intriguing first deceptively clever next viewer begins fall perfectly timed comedic elements wit hartleys brilliant script something happens film takes dark yet strangely comforting turn characters magically become sympathetic eyes began dark comedy morphs romantic drama transition masterful slow pacing gives way breathtaking action sucked right vortexbr br in end hartleys sharp dialog combined amazing performances perfectly matched ensemble cast makes delicious cinematic cocktail told luxury one able write produce direct edit even compose music hal hartley crafted smart sexy tale espionage tongue barely planted cheek fay grim one part dashiell hammett one part raymond chandler one part ian fleming shaken maybe stirred well