Duplicity indeed
Claire and Ray are two ex-spies who have been contracted out by corporations to gain information and access to the other’s goods. Claire and Ray have one problem though, they’re lovers. Through a series of exchanges and plans, Claire and Ray look to dupe their own bosses and hope to pull millions for them; and hopefully get away. The biggest problem outside of fooling both corporations? They have to keep their love affair a secret or they risk having their entire plan collapse.
Let’s talk about the good part of the film first.
The charming back and forth banter between Roberts and Owens is well-done. These two seasoned actors work well onscreen together and could be convincing as a couple. They seem to hit their lines right, the timing is there and their onscreen presence is unrivaled, especially here. Roberts’ serious demeanor and no-nonsense style has just enough horns to lock up perfectly with Owens’ devilish charm and wit. In other words, the actors should do more films together as it is pleasant to see them onscreen in this type of capacity. With that said, this movie starts out really well. You have a pleasant exchange between the two characters that leads into a love affair, and eventually a double-crossing by Claire. The next scene you see are two older gentlemen (the heads of the two corporations Claire and Ray work for) arguing in slow motion at a private air strip. In those two exchanges you see what the story has at stake and it sets up the story perfectly. It tells you that there are two different sides to the story, one about a love affair and the other about money/greed; truly these end up defining ‘duplicity’ in the film. This was possibly one of the coolest, most inventive ways to start the film as it gets you right in the mood for the story. To say the least, it was a perfect beginning. Regretfully, as the story progresses it becomes a little lost with what it’s doing. You will figure out what is going on by the first hour and possibly get a little lost as it concludes.
First, let’s discuss the relationship between Claire and Ray. You understand why these two were brought on in the first place, but the amount of backstabbing and confusion that comes along with the characters around them makes the story spin back and forth with no clear ending in sight. As most people had expressed to me prior to seeing this, the film just becomes slightly repetitive when it just hits the stride it needs to turn a corner. You get to see Claire and Ray repeat their ‘fling’ together over and over in the film with an argument that drives you to the question, “Why would they want to be together?” The film never truly develops their relationship correctly as you have more unhappiness than happiness. The ‘trust’ factor is also a question as the two seem to suspect the other is trying to screw them over (this happens more than once). In short, it’s tough to believe that these two are in love and even harder to believe that they could trust each other enough to pull off a huge scam.
The second fault of the film is that it simply tries to be too clever. Going for that ‘Ocean’s 11’ attitude, it tries to throw in elements that send the characters and audience out in different directions. The problem it has with this is that it doesn’t give a great explanation of ‘why’ these elements exist. They seem to be simply thrown in as devices to move the story along. For example, when they’re investigating the kid down in the Bahamas, the story is written as such that the kid can’t be given a full explanation (as it might destroy the ultimate surprise) of existing. The story ignores it, but asks the characters give their full attention to him. Once he is done they move on to the next device. This repeats multiple times and it’s a cheap way to move along a story. Monty Python made fun of this method in The Life of Brian and quite frankly it couldn’t be more ridiculous here. Too clever of a film brings about these devices that, without proper writing, can overwhelm and confuse your audience.
As Blu as the Bahamas
There is nothing quite like seeing the Bahamas in perfect HD. It sent chills up my body and it made me add that to the list of places to visit once I retire from this gig (retire date 2024). The visuals on this blu-ray were nothing short of clean and stunning. You’ll find a lot of reasons to hug your blu-ray and 1080p set after this film. The audio wasn’t half bad either, but I didn’t really pay attention to it too much.
As for features, you’re stuck with commentary and BD-Live. I have to give some props to the commentary though, as it does provide some less confusing insight into the film. Any time you can unwind something that has been tangled, such as this story, it helps. I really did enjoy the commentary; it was worth the time.