Duplicity (Monday, November 2, 2009) (158)

I have never been a huge fan of writer/director Tony Gilroy. Most of his previous screenplays (Michael Clayton - which he also directed, the Bourne movies, State of Play) have left me cold. Although I understand that he's a smart guy making smart movies, I never really connected to anything he's had his hands in. His stories are super elaborate and fold over and back on themselves four or five times, so that sometimes it hard to know which way is up. Here, the whole point of the story is that you don't know which way is up - and it works really well.

Clive Owen and Julia Roberts are two professional spies working at times for the CIA and MI6 or for private contractors doing corporate intel. They meet and fall in love and then hatch a plan to work for two rival multinational businesses against one another in order to steal trade secrets and sell them to outside buyers. Throughout the film, it is never clear whether what is happening on screen is an honest conversation between them or if it is a ruse as part of a greater scheme to co-opt the information they're supposed to be protecting and stealing for their bosses.

Unlike Gilroy's last writer/director effort, Michael Clayton, this is not a powerful drama about corporate malfeasance and corruption. This is a pure action heist comedy with fun characters and a tricky narrative.

The style of the film is ultra sleek with fresh and modern interiors and elegant moving camera shots. The whole look and feel, from the sets and costumes to the editing, score, structure and snappy dialogue leads to an overall clever, mature atmosphere. As we see the story unfolding in the present, we flash back at different stages to see how they got to that point from actions in the past. This before-and-after style also leads us to question the authenticity of what they are saying at almost every point - putting us in a position of doubt and paranoia just as they are. (It might be slightly more complicated than is necessary, but it is still enjoyable.)

I am not a big fan of Julia Roberts (I know, I probably shouldn't admit this), but I think she works well in this role. My problem with her normally is that she seems on-screen to be very conceited and cocky - as if she thinks she's better than everybody else, better than the character, better than us. Here, that arrogance works well: She is better than every one. She's a top spy and has all the moves figured out before we even know what the game is. She also has great chemistry with Owen (who I think is a great actor). The two are a great on-screen match and can verbally parry back and forth totally convincingly.

This is totally a movie for grown-ups - it's intelligent and intricate and also fast-moving and fresh. It also has one of the best uses of a classic MacGuffin in recent years. The story is not about the ultimate score, but is about the strategy and chase to get there. It's a smart movie for smart people and is totally enjoyable fun.

Stars: 3 of 4