Frank W:

The chemistry generated by Owen and Roberts is fascinating to watch and manages to catch some of the glamour from films of the past. Director Tony Gilroy wanted the film to be a love story, of sorts, about the two main characters trying to decide if they?re truly in love and whether, as spies, they can ever trust each other. I like that movie. But the other part of film ? the one that spends too much time on trickery, deceit, and deception ? lacks charm, likeability and a genuine sense of reality.

Walt D in LV:

Not nearly as entertaining as Michael Clayton, this had its moments. The chemistry between Roberts & Owen make this film work. There were very cool con games and heists plus a bit of comedy. A very good film but not great, and I expected a lot more. Worth seeing, but don't rush. 10/21/09

leela42:

Really had a good time watching Roberts and Owen play cat and mouse. They have great chemistry and Gilroy has given them simply fabulous dialog. His very smart and wickedly droll script weaves an elaborate web with many twists and turns. As far as what turns out to be the ultimate game, I made a guess early on that proved to be right, but still had great fun watching it all play out. International settings add plenty of color and intrigue as well. The plot cracks on quickly with a lot of flashing forward and back in time, so it's essential to pay close attention and keep a nimble wit of your own. And the opening slow-motion airport-tarmac fight scene between Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson is priceless!

dys 838821:

Once again I should of listened to the members reveiw on this one, they were totally correct. I think from now on, I will treat reviews like the show Who wants to be a Millinaire, when you ask the audience they are always right, and this movie is a perfect example. No chemistry between Roberts and Owen, and just a complete bore. I found myself waiting for it to end, and then realized I just didn't care want happened. Save your time and watch a good "grifter" movie, there are plenty out there that blow this film away. Here's to the member reviews at least those close to my taste, I won't go against you again!

nwk 1648665:

This whole movie seems kinda masturbatory. It's running through the motions and by the end you're just glad to get to the climax. Roberts & Owen are good but their roles are so limited and the constant changing of timelines isn't really that necessary until the very end. I mostly rated this positively because the always enjoyable roles of Giamatti and Wilkinson. Those two really eat up the scenery in this with big fat grins. 3.0 stars.

mja674s:

Had I know before renting Duplicity that it is impossible to follow its plot, I wouldn't have bothered. Pity--as I think it has a decent story buried inside somewhere. Though, I must say that the cinematography is quite well done.

Walter Dalton:

A sexy, cool, caper flick with a let down ending. You know that point when you reach the moment in the film when the curtain is pulled back and you finally see the man pretending to be the Wizard? And in your head you say "A-HA!" Well, instead of the A-Ha, try a loud fart. Twists and twists that never really amount to much. Ends with a sigh, not a bang.

ENPIV:

Owen and Roberts are two former government spies who turn into corporate spies in order to get that big pay day that every thief is always looking for. The movie keeps this information from you for a while, which leaves the first half hour kind of confusing. The plot happens in the present, with flashbacks popping up that reveal the many layers of double and triple crosses being set up. I enjoyed the dialog between Owen and Roberts, and Giamatti and Wilkinson are perfect as the competing corporate CEO's. But the plot twists keep coming for 2 hours, and in the end there was one too many crosses (quadruple cross?) that left the ending flat. A small rewrite and a good edit could have made this a more enjoyable and 4 star film. I will recommend it, because I really enjoyed most of the movie, and the portrayal of what corporations will do to succeed was spot on and entertaining.

DP 1522541:

If you like having your brain twisted inside out then back again, you will love Duplicity. If you enjoyed Memento, you will be thrilled by Duplicity. This movie is The Sting on steroids only in this one, you are one of the people being conned instead of being ?in the know?. Director Tony Gilroy takes control of your mind in the beginning of the film, without your consent or knowledge, and doesn?t give it back until the final frame. At some point you will think you understand what's going on - you're wrong. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, who give great performances, confuse and obfuscate at every turn in the plot - and there are many. It is uncommon for thrillers to actually thrill anymore, but Duplicity lives up to the genre and its? own title.

simplygreg:

There is a good espionage movie in here, but it is hard not to be distracted by some directorial choices and the dueling dialogue is more Laurel and Hardy than Hepburn and Tracy.

willschiff:

On the reels, ?Duplicity? acts as an excellent break from the endless stream of poorly constructed films that seem to pollute the waters of cinema today. It builds a world where spies still have a place in our modern world, fighting tooth and nail as major players in a massive corporate death match. Roberts and Owen are quite exceptional, but still below their best performances. The supporting cast made up of Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson are the real phenomenal performances of this movie. This film convinces viewers that an average weekend film can construct a believable and intricate plot while maintaining coherence and quality.

LANjackal:

Here's the deal: because we're dealing with *corporate* espionage and not state intelligence, there's little to no risk of death for the characters, just failure of their plans. Thus, from a birds-eye view the plot loses much of its urgency. However, the film does a good job of getting the audience to care about 2 likable characters who are perfect for each other save for the fact that their jobs as professional liars prevent them from trusting each other completely. The movie is an excellent metaphor for trust/money issues many would-be couples face in reality. The lack of a true sense of danger in what's supposed to be a thriller costs it a star, but otherwise it's a good film for all. No sex scenes and very little cursing, safe for kids of all ages.

ggr 1546907:

Pretty much a run-of-the-mill Hollywood spy thriller with a few notable things that may make it worth a look. First, it incorporates the use of split screens in scene transitions in a way rarely if ever seen on the big screen. This is a fairly minor reason for most audiences, but for some it might make it very worthwhile. Secondly, it chucks the old school nation state spy story in favor of the world of corporate espionage. Again, not a huge thing, but noteworthy. Finally, it has a twist ending that is quite out of step with other Hollywood thrillers of the Ocean's 11 variety. Maybe none of these on it's own would have saved the film from complete mediocrity, but taken together they do.

lja 363492:

Duplicity didn't suck, though characters were not very deep. Seemed more like a screenwriter vamping on david mamet's house of cards instead of a real story. Would rather see mamet (and ricky jay)

lastliberal:

The caper film. It is always exciting, and made more so with Clive Owen and Julie Roberts on the scene. The only problem is that this caper was so convoluted that I really had a hard time following it. So, we are left with a Romcom between the two stars, One is CIA and the other is MI6. They decide to go into private practice, find someway to make a bundle and retire to an island or something. It's those around that make it interesting: Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti, Denis O'Hare, and Kathleen Chalfant. They keep it funny and exciting; well, as best they can. It just didn't ever grab me. But the ending was funny.

rcb 581620:

Hopelessly confusing, difficult to follow and as a result, boring. Yes, Clive and Julia, attractive as they may be, behave so unrealistically and with so little real emotion that they couldn't hold my interest.It has all the realism of an adolescent adventure movie. Too much overwritten, long - winded and attempted cute dialogue. The director's tries to be clever but ends up being incomprehensible. Too many flashbacks and too much unexplained behavior.One puzzling scene follows another just adding to the viewer's confusion.The acting is decent enough and it's visually interesting but it's hard to care about any of the people or what they're doing. In about every third or forth scene some kind of ultimatum is given which doesn't seem to ever have any consequence. It's a movie that thinks it's cooler than it is.Paul Giamatti seems oddly cast. The soundtrack is intrusive. It's way too long.Is that enough? Not worth two hours of your time. If you like Clive Owen, watch The Croupier even if you've seen it before.

AtTheBeach:

Ignore the critics who have given "Duplicity" a negative review. The plot is complex and can be hard to follow but the movie captures your attention, creates wonder or doubt at the events, and has a surprise ending. The title of the movie is appropriate. In the world of corporate espionage, it is hard to tell who is working for whom. There is plenty of backstabbing and ulterior motive from the characters with very few clearly good or bad people. The director uses a technique that can fall flat but worked in this film. The viewer occasionally sees four scenes up simultaneously. There are also "flashbacks" as we learn the story and the nature of the duplicity by going back to past events. Politicians and movie critics often seem to have a low opinion of the public and like to tell the masses what is good for them or what they will or will not like. Perhaps there is plenty of evidence for that from their perspective but ignore the critics in this instance and enjoy a movie that will keep your attention and challenge you to keep up.