Julia Roberts, Clive Owen Shine in Tony Gilroy’s Clever ‘Duplicity’

Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Writer/director Tony Gilroy (“Michael Clayton”) uses words the same way horror movie directors use blood or action movie auteurs use bullets. His weapon of choice, witty repartee, is delivered wonderfully in the enjoyable, clever, charming “Duplicity,” starring Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti, and Tom Wilkinson.

The same whip-smart, intellectual ear for dialogue that made “Michael Clayton” such an immensely interesting film is back in “Duplicity,” a film that could definitely be called a loose sibling of Gilroy’s last. If you showed nearly anyone the two films and asked them if they were made by the same writer/director, they would probably know that they were.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Duplicity” in our reviews section.

Be aware that “Duplicity” is a much lighter film than “Clayton”. It’s a much less serious piece, even if Gilroy is back in the world of evil corporations and the men and women who really make them tick. “Duplicity” is a frothy, breezy, romantic mystery movie of the kind they made much more often in the days of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn (think “Charade”).

The reasonable replacements for Grant and Hepburn in 2008 are Clive Owen and Julia Roberts as a pair of spies who have gone from MI6 and the CIA to the much-more-dangerous world of corporate espionage.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Duplicity” review.

Ex-CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) and former MI6 agent Ray Koval (Clive Owen) are spies-turned-corporate operatives in the midst of a clandestine love affair.
Photo credit: Andrew Schwartz and Universal