Review of Duplicity (2009) by Blake P — 07 Apr 2012

CIA officers Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and Ray Koval (Owen) are both racing to secure the formula for a product that will bring untold wealth to the company, and will send a career higher than anyone could imagine.

The problem is, is the two have been living as a couple for some time now, and that really complicates their relationship. But as the stakes begin to rise, it becomes even harder for the two to really trust each other, sending them both over the edge.

Meanwhile, their mutual employers, industry giant Howard Tully (Wilkinson) and trailblazing CEO Dick Garsil (Giamatti) start resorting to some seriously underhanded tactics in hope of gaining an advantage over the competition.

"Duplicity" was a good movie, but overall was a huge disappointment to me. After recently seeing "Michael Clayton", I turned to this film to see more of the extremely talented director/screenwriter Tony Gilroy's films.

Though this isn't a bad film by any means, it certainly isn't a phenomenal one. It does though, rise above most comedic spy romance thrillers that are similar-- it's of course well-written, well acted (when you get a cast including Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, AND Paul Giamatti, why wouldn't you), and stylish.

But there's so many plot twists that what starts out as a good film simply becomes confusing and disjointed. To have an entertaining film experience, not only should you be having a good time, but you should know what's going on.

By the end I had no clue what had just happened. I only recommend this film to fans of the cast or the director, but "Duplicity" was underwhelming in what it had to offer.