I came to Duplicity because of its lead actor Clive Owen, knowing little about it other than it was a thriller and co-starred Julia Roberts (something I was less than enthused about). But from the rapid-fire opening scene at a resort, when the two stars first engage, I knew I was in capable hands. Duplicity is one of those thrillers hard to find these days – barely violent but tense as all heck, fast-moving, and replete with puzzles to be untangled by the viewer. The movie quickly reminded me of some of the old Cary Grant movies.
When they first meet, Ray (played with tremendous panache by Clive Owen) and Claire (ably acted by Julia Roberts, in one of the few convincing roles I’ve seen her in) are intelligence operatives from England and America respectively. Their first encounter starts with attraction and ends in betrayal, and from then on suspicion is never far from the thoughts of either character or the viewer. The two of them move into industrial espionage, a fascinating topic laid bare in the the film. Director and writer Tony Gilroy (of Michael Clayton fame) snaps back and forth in time to slowly illuminate an epochal battle between two competitors in the personal care product industry. The early scenes are genuinely bewildering but, as the best films of this type manage, we cope and hang in for enlightenment. Pacing is rapid, the cinematography is first rate, and the music works well.
The ending solves the puzzle, throws in a blinder of a surprise and then exits as deftly and niftily as the film opened. Duplicity offers nothing beyond its pace and puzzle, but is superbly executed and thrilling entertainment at its slickest and best.