Critic Watch: Duplicity

Directed by: Tony Gilroy
Written by: Tony Gilroy
Produced by: Laure Bickford and Jennifer Fox
Starring: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star in Duplicity, a "twisty romantic thriller," that has most critics raving. Duplicity follows CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) on their quest to secure a secret formula for their respective companies. Each uses intelligence tactics in an effort to outsmart the other and to achieve victory. As their game gets trickier and dirtier, one thing they didn't expect stands in their way, their growing attraction for each other.

Giving the movie the highest possible rating, 100 out of 100, was Lou Lumenick of The New York Post. Lumenick references many movies throughout his review. He states there is a direct comparison to Mr. and Mrs. Smith and that Duplicity's intricate plot makes Ocean's 11 look like child's play. He also comments on the film's lack of violence and that its IQ is closer to the movie Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Overall he feels the movie is a smart and funny film, topped off with the excellent chemistry between Owen and Roberts.

Giving a good score of 80 out of 100 is Dan Kois of The Washington Post. Kois' first bit of criticism also involves the lack of violence in the film, comparing it to its opposite, the Bourne series. His main complaint with the movie is that Julia Roberts isn't given enough room to "strut her stuff." Other than that he seems to like the movie quite a bit, calling it smart and funny, if only for adults.

Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal give the movie an average score of 60 out of 100. Morgenstern agrees with his fellow critics in saying that the film is indeed of a higher caliber when it comes to intelligence. He feels the plot intricacy is too much, however, and that it takes away from any emotional value the film could have had. He also has a problem with the acting. While the lines are cleverly written, the deliveries of Owen and Roberts leave a lot to be desired. Owen's performance is uninteresting and Roberts, as a result, seems bored.

Kimberly Jones of The Austin Chronicle gives the movie a score of 50 out of 100. The film's opening scene, which contains the only violent scene the other reviews talked about, is one of the problems. The scene, she says, goes on for too long and "turns lumbering." Jones also feels Owen was not at his best here, and that his chemistry with Roberts is essentially nonexistent.

Mick LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a terrible score of 25 out of 100. He says that, "As a caper film, "Duplicity" is a fizzle. As a mystery, it's a cheat." He says that Gilroy does all the wrong things when it comes to corporate espionage. The only pleasures the movie has are incidental, Robert's eyes, Owen in a dark suit, and Paul Giamatti, who plays a corporate owner, at his comedic best. The movie's main problem is its lack of a good script or good direction.

Overall the reviews for this movie are about average. Its total rating is 69 out of 100, which isn't bad, but it also isn't the best movie out there. Certain points critics rave about in some reviews are the subject of disapproval in others. The reviews are so mixed that perhaps the best idea is to jugde it for yourself.