Review of Deception (2008) by Indike W — 20 Jan 2009

"Are you free tonight?".

When meek accountant Jonathan (Ewan McGregor) meets slick attorney Wyatt (Hugh Jackman), he's immediately smitten with Wyatt's style, wit, and sophistication. The two quickly become friends, with Wyatt introducing Jonathan to the world of an anonymous sex club and assorted debauchery. In this haze of pleasure, Jonathan meets the mysterious S (Michelle Williams) and immediately becomes consumed with her every move. Overwhelmed and now trapped in a net of suspicion from the local police once dead bodies start piling up, Jonathan must fight for his life when Wyatt turns out to be far more dangerous than he ever expected. Jackman shows a nice layer of subtle danger that should be explored in a better film. However, disappointingly McGregor slips in and out of a New York accent and Williams needed far more character development for us to care about her on anything other than a surface level. Langenegger keeps things relatively simple instead of resorting to lots of fast cutting and fancy camera angles. Deception offers a fantasy even big money can't buy. Deception is the kind old-school thriller that's become all-too-rare within contemporary multiplexes.