Duplicity movie review

First published 30 March, 2009 | No Comments

Duplicity: deceitfulness in speech or conduct; speaking or acting in two different ways concerning the same matter with intent to deceive; double-dealing. Duplicity is also a film that follows the escapades of two corporate spies, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. Both characters are former secret service agents from their respective countries (CIA and MI-6) who retire from their state funded duties to move into the private sector. They share a romantic history, which leads them to hatch a plot to manipulate two corporate giants in order to obtain profit themselves and fund their own lavish lifestyle.

I can't say much more without giving the film away, but I will say that there are that many twists and turns going on here that at times it was hard to keep up.

I've seen Duplicity described as a romantic comedy thriller. It's definitely got a lot of the spy/thriller thing happening, and some romance, but I wouldn't describe it as being a comedy. It's basically a laugh free film, so if you're expecting a standard Julia Roberts rom-com then you'll be in for disappointment. You could describe Duplicity as a film about corporate espionage, or alternatively a love story focusing on the relationship between a couple that lie for a living.

My major complaint with Duplicity is that it run about 25-30mins too long, wearing out its welcome, and features one too many twists. I kept waiting for the bit shocking twist at the finale, but by the time it came around, I was over all the twisting, and the conclusion left me a little underwhelmed.

Overall, Duplicity is a decent film that loses its way. I'd give it 2 out of 5.