Universal PicturesReview in a Hurry: Julia Roberts and Clive Owen power-suit up for a high-stakes game of corporate espionage. But is it spy vs. spy or spy hearts spy? A slick but somewhat convoluted crime caper, Duplicity practically glows from all the high-wattage power of its incandescent stars.
The Bigger Picture: Think Michael Clayton, only sexier! And without George Clooney! Writer-director Tony Gilroy returns to corrupt boardroom politics—and serpentine storytelling—for his entertaining follow-up. And yes, it's sexier and funnier, though not as richly drawn.
Like trading on Wall Street, Duplicity's plot requires real investment on your part, but—unlike the current market—rewards you with decent payoffs. Tom Wilkinson plays mogul Howard Tully, whose plans to unveil a mysterious new product rankle rival CEO Richard Garsick (an amusing, tightly wound Paul Giamatti). Garsick must steal the lucrative formula for his own company.
Enter covert operatives Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and Ray Koval (Owen). After bumping into each other on assignment (and then bumping you-know-whats), the two begin a clandestine love affair. With the hope of swindling millions, they quit their government intel jobs and devise a scheme to profit from the Tully-Garsick corporate warfare.
To reveal more here would spoil the fun, including the final reel, which has more reversals than your recent stock portfolio.
Gilroy's script is smart and snappy but lacks the dramatic complexity of Michael Clayton. All the globetrotting and timeline tags (there are lots of extended flashbacks) can make your head spin. Owen, all confidence and casual elegance, channels Cary Grant from a Hitchcock thriller, while Roberts brings grace (no, not Kelly) to a role she might've otherwise phoned in with trademark grins and guffaws.
Both are at their movie-star best when crossing swords right before locking lips, using secretiveness as seduction and mutual distrust as consummation. Yep, sexier.
The 180—a Second Opinion: In an important plot point, Koval scams a woman from Tennessee by pretending to be from the state. As an ex-Tennessean, I can tell y'all that no one from Dixie would ever believe Owen's awful Southern accent.