By Lexi Muir
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It’s impressive to say that a movie I barely understood kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat for 125 minutes, but that’s the reality of “Duplicity.” It’s not often one can leave a movie saying “I have no idea what just happened, but I liked it!” The film, while twisted and entangled in its own lies and deceit, proves to be one of the more entertaining films I’ve seen all year.

Clive Owen and Julia Roberts play the roles of Ray and Claire, two corporate spies working for competing corporations. Their first encounter, which takes place in Dubai, consists of Claire drugging and stealing from Ray as an assignment from her adviser. This act sets the tone for the cold, distrustful personalities of both characters, which evolves into the main conflict between the two forces throughout the entire film.

A few years later, Claire and Ray meet up again, fall in love and plan to combine forces for a con job that will score them millions for their ultimate goal: to live happily ever after with a lavish lifestyle beyond imagination. Through lying, stealing and many actions that leave the audience wondering if they are still in fact working together, Claire and Ray work to get closer and closer to scoring the jackpot, which is a multi-million dollar patent for an upcoming revolutionary idea. The trick, however, is to get to it before anyone else does.

Their search for wealth leads them to all areas of the world, including Dubai, Rome, Miami and the Bahamas. The high-class characters are perfectly matched with the gorgeous settings throughout the film. The setting alone could have kept me entertained through the film (that, and Clive Owen’s charming smile and perfectly tanned body).

The audience, instead of simply watching the film, is forced to piece together the puzzle, which is broken down into flashbacks and present day clips. I couldn’t help but feel that director Tony Gilroy was purposefully trying to confuse the audience just because the genre of film usually calls for that type of story line. Had each clip been in its chronological order, not only would I have been able to breathe during the film, but I also wouldn’t have left scratching my head and wondering where all those missing puzzle pieces went.

Along with the confusing timeline is a puzzle piece that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. The multi-million dollar patent, which Claire and Ray work to discover through the entire movie, seems to be a device to mock both the American people and corporations as a whole. Ray thinks he has the big ticket when he discovers frozen pizza is a billion-dollar industry, but Claire discovers their true golden ticket: a cure for baldness. Both of these industries do not seem to fit into the wittiness and sophistication of the movie. One would think that the golden ticket would have been something more intelligent or life-changing like a cure for cancer or an alternate energy source, not a frozen food item or an over-the-counter shampoo.

Overall, the corporate intelligence paired with the romantic spark proved to be quite pleasing, while creating two distinct parallels. Whether going for the romance or the insider-corporate war, “Duplicity” will be sure to leave the audience entertained.

“Duplicity”
Directed by: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen
Rated: PG-13
Overall: B+