Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts & Paul Giamatti
An often fun con artist caper that features some fun twists and interplay between its lead actors though is not always as light and fun as it tries to be.
Reuniting Clive Owen and Julia Roberts who last performed on screen together in Mike Nichols’ Closer, their on screen relationship this time is less bitter than that of their previous collaboration and is instead more quick witted, sharper and instead of using insults to create tension, insults are given to generate suspense and keep the audience as much on their toes over the motives the actors’ characters as the characters do to each other.
No stranger to espionage, writer/director Tony Gilroy, having already directed the excellent corporate/legal thriller Michael Clayton and having scripted the Bourne Identity film series returns to a similar arena for his latest film Duplicity. However, where Gilroy’s previous efforts were strictly serious in the drama/thriller arena, with Duplicity he mixes drama with a healthy dose of humor with as many twists and surprises coming from its character’s dialogue as from the events they are involved in. Ray Koval (Owen) is a former MI6 Intelligence Operative now working for the intelligence department of a major corporation looking for inside information on a rival company. Clare Stenwick (Roberts) is a former CIA Operative working within that rival company and feeding the inside information out to Koval’s employer. Through the reveals of a past history between Koval and Stenwick in a series of cleverly constructed flashbacks, using split screens to give the feeling of a jigsaw puzzle and the scenes contained within clues to the overall plot, we find that the pair is aiming to manipulate both corporations and possibly each other to make a profit for themselves.
The plot itself is actually a fairly traditional affair. Both characters being former spies knowing that their skills at manipulation ultimately means they can’t even trust each other but find themselves attracted to each other regardless is an entertaining twist on a relationship. As Koval states during one flashback, no one really trusts anyone though they’re honest enough to actually say it. So, with our lead characters possibly manipulating each other but also manipulating their employers who themselves employ people and technology to prevent anyone, especially their rivals, from gaining their secrets means that you are kept on your toes throughout most of the film. Sometimes it gets a little tiring as, even after some further twists in the films final scenes, you are still left waiting for there to be more when you want to relax. What helps make a lot of the espionage and double-crossing fun to watch though is the frequently witty dialogue which, while not as quick and fun as that of the Ocean’s Eleven films, is still enjoyable.
Performances in Duplicity are generally pretty good though sometimes unsatisfying. While Clive Owen and Julia Roberts make for enjoyable leads and perform well together, they don’t quite have the bounce, the energy of that some other actors may have given to those roles. Clive Owen in particular, whilst frequently enjoyable in his scenes without Roberts, is slightly less enjoyable in scenes with Roberts despite having better dialogue in those scenes and compares, less favorably, to similar scenes shared between George Clooney and Julia Roberts in Ocean’s Eleven. Also, the supporting cast of Duplicity features the excellent Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti as the rival business leaders whose competition allows for Koval and Stenwick to work their con. However, as good as Wilkinson and Giamatti usually are, and there are also good in Duplicity, they barely have any screen time in the film, especially Wilkinson, which is also disappointing.
Overall though, Duplicity is an enjoyable film. The performances, while not as excellent as they could be, are still enjoyable and the plot, while not offering anything too original, is executed well enough and features enough witty dialogue that Duplicity still manages to satisfy.
Rating: 3/5
