Duplicity
| Duplicity |
Average Rating:
 Rating: - Entertaining, just not a classicTwo government spies who fall in love with each other and decide to follow the money into industrial espionage may be a slightly hackneyed plot, but in the right, humorous hands, could have made for a delightful movie. Duplicity is not delightful. It is entertaining as a caper film, but as a romance, not so much. I never got the chemistry between Julia and Clve and their initial meeting in Dubai was dumb beyond belief. For all Clive's profession of lust at first sight, quite frankly Julia didn't look all that good and what kind of creep doesn't back off at "no"? Sorry. I just didn't believe the attraction furthermore, didn't care. This was surprising from two actors I really like. There was much to disbelieve on a skills level also. Throughout J and C's decision making and subsequent foray into crime, there was such bumbling and so many mistakes made, it was hard to believe these two were ever competent spies. Of course, if they'd spent as much time on the actual caper as they did on dissecting their relationship and why they shouldn't trust each other, maybe things would have gone differently. It struck me as unintentionally hilarious that two spy/con artists would get all angsty and appalled at evidence of untrustworthiness in each other, yet arguments on the subject took up a great deal of screen time. Yawn. On the other hand, Paul Giamatti was a treat to watch as was Tom Wilkinson as rival CEOs. Their slow motion fight during the opening credits was the best scene in the movie. Both Owens and Roberts are nice to look at, the locations were interesting, and there was one moment of genuinely agonizing suspense, if unnecessarily contrived. The denouement was nicely unexpected and, since I wasn't invested in either character, very satisfactory. Bottom line? There are much better movies in this genre. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Widescreen Edition), A Fish Called Wanda, To Catch a Thief (Special Collector's Edition), or Entrapment (Special Edition). For a caper, you can't go wrong with The The Hot Rock or The Ladykillers (Widescreen Edition). Rating: - Mediocre and forgettable con-men filmThe Bottom Line: Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti are fun as rival CEOs but the overall plotting of the movie should be obvious to anyone with a familiarity with such films and aside from a few laughs there's not much else going on here; Owen and Roberts don't have the type of chemistry required for these roles (Mr. and Mrs. Smith wasn't very good but Pitt and Jolie at least knew what they were doing with similar characters) and, while not terrible, Duplicity emerges as a very forgettable film. 2.5/4 Rating: - A Con Movie, with the Viewer the Target...The 'Con' has long been a film staple, an intriguing 'tease' that challenges the viewer to piece together an elaborate scheme that unfolds as we watch. In the best of these films, there are three unwritten rules, that makes them special; first, a plot that challenges, and provides surprising, yet believable twists, to keep us on our toes (think, "The Sting"); second, intelligent and despicable villains that deserve to be brought down (Andy Garcia, in "Ocean's Eleven", for example); finally, even more intelligent and likable protaganists we can identify with, and cheer for (two of my favorites were Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, in "How to Steal a Million"). Director/screenwriter Tony Gilroy, in "Duplicity", provides a clever, modern 'twist' to these rules, but the ultimate 'mark' his con is played on is the viewing audience, and I admit, this disappointed me, even more than the misleading ads that implied the film was a 'romantic comedy'. First off, I never saw the 'sizzling chemistry' between Julia Roberts and Clive Owen that some critics raved about. Both characters were always so duplicious that I couldn't warm up to them, much less root for them (particularly as, through most of the film, each had different agendas). Their attraction seemed contrived, lacking any heart, and when Julia Roberts can't touch your heart, you have a problem! Next, the 'villains' (Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti) are presented as so cartoonish and petty (opening the film in a shouting match that ends in a brawl), that you'd think even "The A-Team" could bring them down, without breaking a sweat (yeah, I know, this was all a part of the set-up for the 'Con'). Finally, the actual heist itself was so routine and easy to accomplish, I'm amazed two 'professionals' like Owen and Roberts weren't even a tad suspicious. The surprise 'twist' of the finale has been described as pure Hitchcock, but the 'Hitch' film it reminded me of, "Family Plot", handled it's twist ending (and the entire story, for that matter), with far more panache and wit. "Duplicity" has it's share of fans, so I admit my personal disappointment in the film may simply be a lack of 'sophistication' in Gilroy's modern variation of the 'Con', but if you are not thrilled after you view it, don't say I didn't warn you! Rating: - When spies fall in loveIf you ever thought that Julia Roberts and Richard Gere have unmistakable onscreen chemistry, wait until you see "Duplicity" with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen together. However, that is not why you want to see this movie. What makes movie unforgettable is roles played by Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamati. These two play two rival CEOs who are so resentful of each other that they get into a fist fight. When you see these two at each other, in slow motion no less, makes this movie worth watching. Never mind it happens at the beggining of the movie. The fist fight scene gives this film so much credit, that the rest of is there to take it away by the time movie is over. Rating:  - Neo-classic caper comedyThis movie is kind of a new age caper movie...you know, where someone is scamming someone else. You have to watch it closely. I had to pause it halfway to explain who was doing what to whom to the better half. But there are some nice twists at the end that pay off. Naming an old movie, if you liked The StingThe Sting (not as a period piece, but for the caper), this one is for you. 
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