The term 'thriller' might be overstating things a bit, although the slow motion battle between Wilkinson and Giamatti will live on in my memory for years to come.
Comment
03/19/09
Duplicity (2009)
65
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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 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... [More]
Starring: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti
Director: Tony Gilroy
Reviews for Duplicity
121 - 140 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
This movie is a breeze compared to the lawyerly Sturm und Drang of Michael Clayton.
03/19/09
For a sexy comedy that tries and fails to recapture the sensual smarts of vintage screwball fare, Duplicity is regrettably short on sex and comedy.
03/19/09
Duplicity ultimately comes off as a breath of fresh air amid a movie season rife with bleak horror films, hopelessly juvenile comedies and bloated superhero epics.
03/19/09
It's not deep: it's a wispy-light meringue of a romantic spy-versus-spy comedy. But it is smart. It expects that you're keeping up with the tricks it's trying to pull on you.
03/19/09
Too often [director Gilroy] returns to his darker, more ponderous instincts -- more like a wink and a sneer -- which has an enervating effect on a film that lives and dies by its fleetness of foot.
03/19/09
Duplicity may be too smart for its own good. But how many films can you say that about?
03/19/09
Duplicity isn't quite as clever as it wants to be, but it's diverting and funny, and it's always a pleasure to watch a movie that relies on brains as fodder instead of brawn.
03/19/09
Though it waltzes through European capitals and gorgeous hotel suites, it never quite gets the blood pumping. And despite all the husky-voiced pillow-talk about sex and adrenaline, there's little of either.
03/19/09
...a crazy spy vs spy tale of intrigue and corporate espionage that works well due mostly to the chemistry of its two leads - Clive Owen and Julia Roberts.
03/19/09
Lacks the tension and wow-factor we've grown accustomed to from slick star vehicles.
03/19/09
Duplicity is entertaining, but the complexities of its plot keep it from being really involving. The fun is in watching Roberts and Owen fencing with dialogue, keeping straight faces, trying to read each other's minds.
03/19/09
Top CriticComedy seems to have liberated Gilroy, who directs Duplicity with the high gloss and fleet-footed hustle of a Golden Age Hollywood craftsman.
03/19/09
Duplicity plays as a less-successful comic remake of Michael Clayton.
03/19/09
I'm not certain Duplicity ultimately rewards the time invested, but it's a convincing enough spy game stew to slurp slowly. Just appreciate the ride, not the destination.
03/19/09
Duplicity is one big fogbank of a movie and sounding a horn won't help you. Prepare to get lost in a mass of pointless murk.
03/19/09
A beautifully shot, well written and impressively acted thriller that's both suspenseful and emotionally engaging.
03/19/09
Seductive and playful, this corporate espionage thriller has a breezy attitude that keeps us thoroughly engaged through all of the twists and turns of the plot.
03/19/09
The movie comes alive almost exclusively in the flashbacks.
03/19/09
...a movie built around dazzling dialogue, which makes it a rare and precious thing.
03/18/09
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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