Review of Duplicity (2009) by Allen G — 16 Feb 2013

CLIVE OWEN, WHY U SO COOL!?

Anyways, this film has it's issues, it seems to think that it's got the formula for such a tricky genre down and that, as a result of this, it can throw in endless plot turns and place emphasis on a romantic relationship between the two leads while still keeping the audience fully engaged.

It failed to keep me fully engaged though, it became clear quite early on that the film was going to be a rollercoaster that would leave me more noxious than filled-with energy. On top of this, I didn't really care about the two leads, I found it hard to see the romance in a relationship based fully on mistrust and personal gain and even by the end of the film I didn't see any progression from this attitude. This wasn't about two people developing a relationship through a scheme it was simply two people in a dull, repetitive and dysfunctional relationship based upon a scheme. As other reviews have said, the roles played by Giamatti and Wilkinson would have made for a better main storyline as opposed to being in the background. From that perspective this film could have been much better.

It has many pluses though, it's attempting something very difficult and not without it's risks and it requires something from the viewer, it's not simply there for you to stuff your face with and so I'd always pick it over your average film. The twists and turns may have been annoying and distracting overall but at least there was a reward with a fairly satisfying ending.

This film annoyed me but I still took something from it, kind of like that friend we all have who talks too much but means well.