In the high stakes world of corporate espionage two former spies, and lovers, hatch a plan to make the score of a lifetime. But will they be able to trust one another long enough to pull it off?This complex caper certainly kept the audience on its toes by not only keeping them guessing as to who exactly was playing whom, but also if the main characters (Ray and Claire) could trust each other. Writer/Director Tony Gilroy did a good job of structuring the movie in a non-linear fashion, to further aide in keeping the audience engaged in the plot, but he also created clever dialogue for the cast to eat up. Speaking of said cast, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts were dynamite as Ray and Claire, trading verbal jabs as well as kisses all the while looking cool. Their crackling exchanges might even remind some of those that are prevalent in those old 1930's and 1940's screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby. But what made Ray and Claire's story so endearing, and relatable, was that the issues they were having with their relationship mirrored those we mortals face (although rarely are ours set against the background of corporate espionage). The fear of trusting someone implicitly and loving them for who they are is something most people have to deal with in their search for their better half and Owen and Roberts (thanks to Gilroy) were able to tackle those issues and more in an intelligent manner which did not insult the audience with over-sentimentality. Neither was the love story seemingly tacked on as an afterthought to justify certain aspects of the caper plot of the film.
While Duplicity successfully waves the banner as a breezy, fun caper film, it's the heart of its main characters which sets it apart from the rest.
Grade: B
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