DUPLICITY Review

If you feel like movies these days do nothing but dumb you down, then get a healthy dose of DUPLICITY and you’re set again for life. I was not a big fan of Tony Gilroy’s previous work Michael Clayton but I am floored by this thriller heist romantic comedy drama, yeah I know, it’s a… combination of many but you won’t mind because it doesn’t get more entertaining than this. It’s one of the most clever stories you’ll ever see. DUPLICITY is a game of outsmarting the next guy. Funny, sexy, addictive and it keeps you guessing who’s playing who til the end. Rarely a movie this good comes out so early in the year but bravo to Tony Gilroy’s amazing screenplay, no doubt.

CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first.
For their employers—industry titan Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and buccaneer CEO Dick Garsik (Paul Giamatti)— nothing is out of bounds. But as the stakes rise, the mystery deepens and the tactics get dirtier, the trickiest secret for Claire and Ray is their growing attraction. And as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can’t cheat their way out of: love.

Brilliant script on the part of writer/director Tony Gilroy. DUPLICITY is just fun to watch. I enjoy the whole bluffing aspect of it all, trying to read opponents’ move or make them think one thing while you actually do another. But scheming isn’t the only interesting part. The chemistry between the two lead characters is on a league of its own. Tony Gilroy has created smooth, con artist lines that are witty, fast, and downright intellect. This movie depends on brains. Audiences who can’t keep up with the particular frame of the plot will get lost in the maze because Gilroy has structured each scene to reveal the secrets in bits and pieces with teases along the way instead of dropping the bomb all at once. Just when you thought you had it figured out, think again.

Great performances from every Oscar players involved in this movie. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen who were excellent in Closer, have reunited and trust me, they won’t disappoint you. You’re going to wanna see them argue and trick each other again and again. I love how they can’t seem to trust one another and yet they can’t get enough of each other. It’s like a match made in heaven. It’s a messed up relationship, unlike what normal people would have and that’s exactly what keeps them together. Two actors who can speak really quick but articulate with fast reaction and perfect comedic timing and sharp experienced skills in the concept of race against time, which this movie definitely has.

Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson are masters of their own dominions. As two cutthroat executive who’s do anything to bring the other person down, they bring a certain finesse to their performances. You would not be able to imagine anybody else in their roles.
Let me just say that I’ve always been a fan of James Newton Howard’s score and the one that he has for DUPLICITY is another home run as well.
I like movies that make me say ‘wow, I didn’t see that coming a mile away’ DUPLICITY is one of those and it’s got something for those of you fans of Bond gadgets, Ocean’s Eleven and spy flicks but this one will get you smiling in the end only because the movie calls Check Mate and wins.

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