Duplicity

Two corporate spies (Clive Owen and Julia Roberts) work both sides of rival corporations in an intricate con job.

Duplicity is a fun, clever, heist picture that successfully stays one-step ahead of its audience.

Writer/director Tony Gilroy’s razor-sharp script, full of whip-smart dialog and a Möbius plot that’s sure leave some people lost and confused, is a joy. But it’s as a director where Gilroy really takes a leap forward, delivering a visual style that complements the material well, and proving that he’s comfortable telling a story in images instead of just words. Something apparent early on during the silent, sidesplitting, rain drenched meeting between Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson.

Leads Clive Owen and Julia Roberts do a great job. Owen once again proves he deserves well-written parts like this, and Roberts delivers her best performance in years, coming across as believable in the type of role only Barbara Stanwyck used to be able to pull off. Indeed, Robert’s character’s name of Stenwick is likely a tip of the hat to that effect.

If Duplicity has a weakness, it’s that it lacks a strong emotional undercurrent. We want to see Owen and Roberts get away with their plan but we really don’t care about them as people, mainly because they’re paranoid and untrusting. While these traits make for more realistic characters, they also keep the audience at arms length.

Still, if you’re a fan of heist pictures, or clever, well-written movies in general, you’ll probably enjoy Duplicity.