It's a pity...that James Newton Howard's music score is so relentlessly intrusive and that Gilroy's plotting gets so complicated before everything becomes clear in the end.
Duplicity (2009)
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Reviews Counted:166
Fresh:108
Rotten:58
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Duplicity is well-crafted, smart, and often funny, but it’s mostly more cerebral than visceral and features far too many plot twists.
Australian Rating: PG [See Full Rating] Mild sexual references and coarse language
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Genre: Dramas
Australian Theatrical Release:
Mar 19, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $40,559,930
Synopsis: DUPLICITY is a slick, Soderberghian comic caper in which it’s never exactly clear who is being conned. It’s easy to see that ex-CIA agent Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) and former MI6 member Ray... DUPLICITY is a slick, Soderberghian comic caper in which it’s never exactly clear who is being conned. It’s easy to see that ex-CIA agent Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) and former MI6 member Ray Koval (Clive Owen) have a heated history together when they embark on an elaborate mission of corporate espionage. Two rival CEOs (played by the always fantastic Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti) are battling for the top spot in their industry, and a top-secret new product would determine who would wear the crown. But this isn’t just about business innovation and profit: Claire and Ray have a plan that would help them get the prized formula and walk away with millions. Tony Gilroy’s previous work as screenwriter and director--namely the Jason Bourne films and MICHAEL CLAYTON--didn’t give any indication that he could create something this bouncy and light. But while DUPLICITY is fun, it’s never dumb; it jumps back and forth in time with style, playing an elaborate game that its scheming lead characters would be proud of. As Ray and Claire, Owen and Roberts display the same fiery chemistry that they showed in the gut-punching romantic drama CLOSER, but this time, they play (mostly) nice. If DUPLICITY can draw comparison to the classic genre bender CHARADE, then it’s not a stretch to liken Owen to Cary Grant--he has an easy charm that ensnares not only each woman in the film but everyone in the audience as well. [More]
Starring: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti
Starring: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti, Dan Dailey, Lisa Roberts Gillan, David Shumbris, Rick Worthy, Denis O'Hare, Tom McCarthy
Director: Tony Gilroy
Director: Tony Gilroy
Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy
Producer: Jennifer Fox, Kerry Orent, Laura Bickford
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Duplicity
Once Gilroy has the film on track with all passengers aboard and accounted for, you do start wondering if he can keep up the momentum. He does -- although so much contrivance is involved that he often runs the risk of leaving you behind.
Essentially formulaic fare. Although Julia Roberts is quite good, the love scenes look exactly like what they are: famous people pretending.
On the simplest level, Duplicity is a tribute to the power of performance.
Whatever the onscreen dilemma for Clive Owen's Ray and Julia Roberts' Claire, for us, it's a no-brainer. This slick and persuasive crime thriller has so much chemistry and chutzpah; we're hooked from the start
It might be saying something that I preferred to see [Giamatti and Wilkinson] in action than the two actual leads of the film.
Duplicity features the sort of story screenwriters dream of crafting in order to show off their aptitude.
The results are mistimed and misshapen, like Lubitsch after a vasectomy
The film's greatest pleasure is in the snappy dialogue Gilroy crafts for the capable duo of Roberts and Owen... [Blu-ray]
You gotta be flawless to tell a story out of sequence. This ain't no Memento. God, Julia is getting old.
It's not unfair to say that Duplicity is Michael Clayton on laughing gas. What's remarkable is that both movies pretty much work.
[Tony] Gilroy may have taken his time honing his voice as a filmmaker, but there's little doubt that he's got it down to a science at this point.
Duplicity is like sitting in a two-hour lecture from a college professor who reads straight from the text and never makes eye contact. Do you know there is an audience here?
This movie wasn't firing on all cylinders despite some of them being great cylinders.
... Plays like a more sophisticated Ocean's Eleven, the extra heft coming from its corporate setting.
'Duplicity' is a cleverly charming and sophisticated film about treacherous people.
It won't receive the critical ballyhoo of his previous film, but where Gilroy's 'Michael Clayton' lacked imagination and surprise, 'Duplicity' is a fun, witty romp.
Latest News for Duplicity
July 23, 2009:
RT on DVD: Duplicity, Friday the 13th and MacGyver!
If you're looking for a bit of DVD froth and fun on the couch on a cold winter's night, what could be better than a Julia Roberts/Clive Owen rom-com-caper? The dialogue is... More...
March 19, 2009:
Critics Consensus: I Love You, Man Is A Fine Bromance
This week at the movies, we've got a bromantic comedy (I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel), ominous numerology (Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne),... More...
March 19, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: Cage, Roberts, and Rudd Battle For #1 Spot
Three new films roll into North American multiplexes and for the first time in ages, all three have a realistic chance of claiming the number one spot. Comedies have been... More...
March 14, 2009:
Duplicity teams masters of mutual deceit in sizzling make up sex for spies, Julia squirming her way through one night stand pretend amnesia with toe rings, and a different kind of screwing of flabby corporate cutthroats in designer suits. ![]()
More...
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