Review of Duplicity (2009) by Alex H — 04 Apr 2010

There are not many directors I unequivocally despise, but I think that Tony Gilroy is getting there pretty damn fast. After concocting the smuggest and dullest "thriller" I've seen in ages with Michael Clayton, Gilroy adds an extra arrow to his bow by making his next film smug, dull and totally incomprehensable.

The only reason I watched this is because I like Paul Giamatti, who predictably gives a great performance as the sneaky and slimey CEO of a major drug company, but unfortunatly he doesn't get nearly enough screentime and instead we are forced to watch a fairly simple story tortuously transformed into something desperately trying to seem intelligent though a terrible structure, with so many flashforwards and flashbacks that you no longer give a shit anymore.

The on-screen chemistry between Julia Roberts and Clive Owen is uninspiring to say the least. Whenever they are on screen together you don't really have any feelings towards them apart from praying that it isn't too long before the next scene so you are not subjected to their painfully unwitty "banter" for much longer. My guess is this is because of the script, written by, of course, by Tony Gilroy.

This film is a nightmare. Don't watch it. The only reason I watched it the whole way through was that I was paralysed by the hypnotic monotony of the whole thing. Thanks for that Gilroy you asshole.