The Movie
Duplicity gives us a good long look into the high-stakes, paranoid world of industrial espionage, although I can't say I like what I see. The people in this profession play it close to the vest, when they aren't stabbing one another in the back, so likable characters are in short supply. The plot involves former CIA and MI6 operatives (Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, respectively) now toiling in the private sector, but with eyes on some hefty ill-gotten gains in order to fund a luxurious early retirement. To that end, they hatch a plot that pits two huge corporations against one another, in hopes they will give up the secret of The Next Big Thing in consumer products. But can they trust anyone, even each other?
At every turn, the marketing and the movie itself warns audiences with a wink, "Hang on for all the twists we're going to throw at you!" But this approach just makes it that much harder for the filmmakers to lead suspicious viewers where we need to go in order to be surprised. As a result, the ending is only mildly confusing but wholly unsatisfying.
Also check out Karen Dahlstrom's review of Duplicity.
The Picture
Backgrounds within the 2.40:1 frame are not noisy per se but the compression frequently leaves certain details looking artificial, taking on a distractingly unrealistic "digital" edge. Colors too are sometimes a little hard to believe, once we've been shown one too many orange faces, while blacks can be a little lifeless. There's the occasional crisp close-up, but overall this master could have been better.
The Sound
This is a fairly low-key "thriller" and so there are no car chases or shootouts, but the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack makes the most of what's here. The delicate percussion of the musical score is preserved, but more to the point, every location is fully rendered, always with clarity and depth. If we're in the city, it's alive with traffic and sirens. If we're in a room, doors are opening and closing. At a party, voices are everywhere. At a restaurant? Sounds like the food is good. Definitely above average.
The Extras
A running audio commentary is provided by writer/director Tony Gilroy and his editor/co-producer/brother John Gilroy. There are a few interesting stories over the two hours, but in general it's a bit too happy for my taste, often recounting just how great everyone was to work with. This disc is also BD-Live-enabled.
Final Thoughts
Duplicity taught me a lot about how modern intelligence-gathering works--well, at least how it works in the movies--but neither the stars nor the filmmakers are ever quite as charming as they think they are, so only the audience is left feeling duped.
Product Details
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