Julia Roberts and Clive Owen Star in a Slick, Clever Entertainment
What might happen if a pair of professional spies fell in love with each other? Writer-director Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) offers a possible answer to that question in Duplicity (2009), a sophisticated, droll combination of offbeat love story and caper film. Stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen make a beguiling screen couple, and the locations, sets and visual style of the movie are easy on the eyes. But the intricate plot has one twist after another, and viewers who want to follow it must pay attention.
The story in Duplicity involves espionage by two huge rival corporations whose CEOs are memorably portrayed by Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson. Roberts and Owen play spies chasing corporate secrets that take them to attractive places in New York, Rome, the Bahamas and elsewhere. They have a romance that's troubled because they're never sure how much they should trust each other. The movie offers little action, no violence of any consequence, and the love scenes are tame. But there's witty banter between the romantic leads, and the corporate skullduggery is amusing.
In the film, Owen and Roberts make us think of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. Classic movie buffs will note that the relationship between the lovers in Duplicity is reminiscent of Trouble in Paradise (1932). But old Hollywood films were generally faster paced and at least 20 minutes shorter than Duplicity. Gilroy's movie is not for everyone, but for many the fine acting, clever story construction and high production values make Duplicity superior grownup entertainment.
Audio Commentary
The Duplicity DVD's sole extra is a feature-length audio commentary by writer-director Tony Gilroy, in which he is assisted by his brother John, who edited and co-produced the film. The Gilroy brothers mention their hope that cinematographer Robert Elswit would join them, but his voice is never heard. The Gilroys deliver a rambling commentary that, while not always interesting, eventually gives a wealth of detail about the production of the movie. For example, the director talks about shooting at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, the posh St. Regis Hotel in Rome and the Seagram Building in Manhattan, as well as sending a second unit to get exterior shots in London and Zurich.
DVD Details
Below I have listed all the details for the DVD containing Duplicity.
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Feature Film Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for Language and Some Sexual Content
Aspect Ratio 2.40:1, Color
English 5.1 Dolby Digital
Spanish-Dubbed Soundtrack
French-Dubbed Soundtrack
English Captions for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Spanish Subtitles
French Subtitles
Audio Commentary by Writer/Director and Editor/Co-Producer