Audiences, for the most part, love to be manipulated, especially by filmmakers talented enough to disguise their intentions in sound storytelling. Thankfully, Duplicity achieves this rare of cinematic achievements: it manipulates its audience and keeps them wanting more. Despite not having a strong plot to keep the story moving forward, the latest film from Tony Gilroy, the writer and director of Michael Clayton, gets by on an intoxicating blend of focused writing, wonderful performances, and eye-catching cinematography. The central pull of Duplicity’s plot stems from the relationship between two rival corporate counterintelligence officers – the charismatic former MI-6 agent Ray (Clive Owen) and the slightly paranoid ex-C.I.A. agent Claire (Julia Roberts).
Both Clive Owen and Julia Roberts sizzle with the kind of on-screen chemistry not seen since the early comedies of Howard Hawks. While by no means a classic, Duplicity nonetheless does achieve a perfectly balanced mixture of romance, comedy and intrigue that handles intelligent, complex scenes as effectively as it does the breezy, lighthearted ones. While this may give the film a jerky, disjointed structure, Gilroy keeps the film moving quickly by surrounding Owen and Roberts with wonderful supporting characters that feel as alive and important to the central story, as do the two leads. Tom Wilkinson, having worked with Gilroy in Michael Clayton, gives a truly wonderful performance as a Zen-like C.E.O. of Burkett & Randle, a cosmetic company whose business-as-war model puts him in direct hostilities with the rival C.E.O. of Equikrom, played by the always-serviceable Paul Giamatti.
When Burkett & Randle announce a major new cosmetic product that will make them billions, Equikrom decides to steal the formula and beat them to the punch. That’s where our two leads come into play. Hired as spies and intelligence officers, Ray and Claire are liable to make a fortune if they play their cards right, and if they can overcome their initial hostility towards each other. Saying too much of the plot would inevitably ruin the fun. Duplicity should be applauded for avoiding traditional, cliché-laden plot machinations and constructions. Instead, the film uniquely employs multiple flashbacks and manipulates time to keep audiences guessing as to who is getting played.
The film is all about reversing audience expectations. If scenes feel clichéd initially, Gilroy’s clever writing twists them to conclusions that are unexpected. With the elegance and slight-of-hand of a skillful magician, Gilroy generates enough momentum and trickery to build to a truly surprising ending that will leave audiences clamoring to see the film again. Sure, audiences may feel they’ve been manipulated, but when it’s well earned, they’ll go back for more.
Richard Saad
© Cinephile Magazine, 2009