Duplicity

Tony Gilroy’s masterful follow-up to 2007’s Michael Clayton, Duplicity follows amorous spies Ray Koval (Clive Owen) and Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) as they illicitly maneuver their way into a corporate showdown between a pair of vicious industry titans (Tom Wilkinson’s Howard Tully and Paul Giamatti’s Richard Garsik) and subsequently conspire to pull off the ultimate con job. It’s an admittedly familiar premise that’s primarily employed to exceedingly positive (and downright enthralling) effect by writer/director Gilroy, as the filmmaker has infused Duplicity with an unapologetically dense sensibility that effectively keeps the viewer on their toes virtually from start to finish. Gilroy’s comfort behind the camera is evident almost from the movie’s opening frames, with the captivating, remarkably entertaining credits sequence setting a tone of lighthearted playfulness that’s consistently matched within the remainder of the proceedings. Owen and Roberts’ career-best efforts are complemented by a flawless supporting cast that includes, among others, Denis O’Hare, Thomas McCarthy, and Carrie Preston, yet there’s little doubt that it’s Wilkinson and Giamatti that inevitably provide the film with its most indelible moments. The barrage of impossible-to-predict twists within Gilroy’s tight screenplay leave the viewer forced to continually reexamine and question their perception of the film’s reality, and it’s ultimately difficult to recall an endeavor within this specific thriller subgenre that’s so effortlessly able to keep its audience guessing right up until the very last shot. The end result is an unexpectedly engrossing piece of work that undoubtedly cements Gilroy’s place as a major new filmmaker, and it’s certainly not difficult to envision the movie topping several best-of-the-year lists come December.

**** out of ****