BOTTOM
LINE:
Very clever and cerebral,
“Duplicity” has enough twists and turns to engage you
in its 2-hour journey of professional double and triple dealing
between characters and corporations, but the film ultimately does
not make you care enough about it to make that journey satisfying.
THE
GOOD: It is refreshing
to see so much effort has gone in to the crafting of a complicated
and cerebral story in “Duplicity”, the latest work from
writer/director Tony Gilroy who also crafted the well received Michael
Clayton. Although the plot becomes very clear by the climax, sifting
through the endless layers of double-dealing between the characters
involved is very entertaining, starting with the very strong performances
of Julia Roberts as Claire and Clive Owen as Ray Koval, two intelligence
agents who conspire together to make forty million dollars at the
benefit of a corporate show-down between two big companies. Watching
Roberts and Owen is fun at times, with their witty banter and double-dealing
between each other; a dialogue scene will appear to be running one
way and then be turned on its head half way through and we are left
wondering who has got the advantage over who throughout. The larger
story of one corporation trying to steal a world-changing idea from
another corporation is also intriguing, particularly as seen through
the two CEO’s Howard Tully (a very devious Tom Wilkinson)
and Richard Garsik (a self-absorbed and slightly ridiculous Paul
Giamatti). What works so well is that this story will keep you guessing
right until the end as to who is working who. In that respect, “Duplicity”
certainly lives up to its title and provides a very cerebral experience;
make sure you do not park your brain at the door when you walk in
to the cinema because you will get lost if you do not keep up.
