A Film Review by Tim Riley
DUPLICITY (Rated PG-13)
Having written and directed the sharp “Michael Clayton,” Tony Gilroy performs the same duties for an even smarter film that combines a fine brew of romance, espionage, clever plot twists and pointed dialogue into the excellent, absorbing thriller that is “Duplicity.”
While it’s easy to quibble with a few plot points in any film, this brilliant, slick piece of work actually requires the audience to pay close attention and ponder the mystifying events and situations as they unfold.
Far from being a popcorn movie, “Duplicity” doesn’t dumb down its intricate plot twists. That’s a good enough reason for moviegoers who enjoy a good story and sharp-witted dialogue to flock to this movie, if for no other purpose than to support a bold concept in today’s world of mindless entertainment and encourage more clever product from Hollywood.
To be sure, I love fun but senseless action pictures, but there has to be some sensible balance. “Duplicity” does the trick, assisted greatly by a terrific cast, both in starring and supporting roles.
Julia Roberts and Clive Owen make great spies who share a romantic past. “Duplicity” opens with a flashback about five years ago, when Owen’s MI6 agent Ray Koval sidles up to Roberts’ CIA agent Claire Stenwick at an Embassy party in Dubai. Not surprisingly, they spend the night together, only Ray wakes up the next morning in a haze after being doped and Claire has made off with his briefcase full of government secrets. This, of course, is the start of a beautiful romantic entanglement that shows up again at exotic locales around the world.
In the present time, notwithstanding numerous flashbacks to fill in some important plot points, Ray and Claire meet up again at New York’s Grand Central Station.
It’s not an auspicious start when Claire insists she doesn’t remember Ray from their Dubai tryst. Then again, there are a number of trust issues that arise between these two spies who have retired from government service in order to provide their counter-intelligence services to competing corporate giants. The lucrative pay that comes with protecting or stealing trade secrets has enticed them to rival companies.
The escalating war between two corporate giants is fueled by the animosity of their respective CEOs, Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and Dick Garsick (Paul Giamatti).
One of the funniest scenes is a slow-motion physical altercation on the tarmac as these corporate titans square off in front of their horrified colleagues waiting to board their private jets. The tension rises further when Tully makes it known that he possesses a revolutionary secret formula. In turn, this leads Garsick to unleash his minions to snare the formula by any means possible prior to an upcoming shareholders meeting.
“Duplicity” puts a fine, sharp edge to the corporate shenanigans, allowing for the type of nuance and intrigue that keeps an audience guessing about the next turn in the plot. One can never be sure about the sincerity of the actions taken by Ray or Claire. One moment they are scheming together, and the next they seem hopelessly at odds. Even their romance, though the chemistry is evident, leaves an element of risk.
The greatest certainty is that Ray and Claire are playing a clever cat-and-mouse game, which inevitably will lead to some sort of conflict. As former government spies, they just can’t let go of nagging trust issues.
Arriving at a better match than Julia Roberts and Clive Owen for this type of film may be a difficult mission. Now a cinema veteran, Roberts has poise and style in addition to the irrepressible charm and sexiness of someone half her age. For his part, the cool and smart Clive Owen shows why he would have been an excellent pick for James Bond.
“Duplicity” would likely be a sharp, dazzling thriller with other capable leading actors, but Roberts and Owen make it all that much better and definitely worth seeing by anyone interested in the best kind of adult entertainment.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
“Marley & Me” is getting the DVD treatment, including a dog training trivia track. But everyone is familiar with this story of the world’s worst dog, so let’s move on to something really different.
“Truecrimes,” filled with gripping suspense, is the story of an ordinary man named Hector who, as a consequence of being pursued by a murderer, stumbles into a mysterious lab and accidentally travels back in time.
A naked girl in the midst of the forest, a cloaked stranger with his face covered in bandages and a disquieting mansion on the top of a hill are all pieces of an unpredictable jigsaw puzzle where terror, drama and suspense will lead to an unthinkable sort of crime.
Drawing from the best elements of classic science fiction and crime fiction, the film plays games with the genre and the audience. “Truecrimes” is a different kind of time traveling sci-fi thriller, definitely offbeat and out of the ordinary.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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