Duplicity (2009)

A pair of corporate spies who share a steamy past hook up to pull off the ultimate con job on their respective bosses.

Director:

Tony Gilroy

Writer:

Tony Gilroy

Stars:

Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Tom Wilkinson

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clive Owen	...	Ray Koval
Julia Roberts	...	Claire Stenwick
Tom Wilkinson	...	Howard Tully
Paul Giamatti	...	Richard Garsik
Dan Daily	...	Garsik's Aide
Lisa Roberts Gillan	...	Tully's Assistant (as Lisa Roberts Gillan)
David Shumbris	...	Turtleneck
Rick Worthy	...	Dale Raimes
Oleg Shtefanko	...	Boris Fetyov (as Oleg Stefan)
Denis O'Hare	...	Duke Monahan
Kathleen Chalfant	...	Pam Frailes
Khan Baykal	...	Dinesh Patel
Thomas McCarthy	...	Jeff Bauer (as Tom McCarthy)
Wayne Duvall	...	Ned Guston
Fabrizio Brienza	...	Hotel Manager

Storyline

Ray works for MI6, Claire for the CIA. She burns him in Dubai. Jump ahead five years: he sees her in Grand Central and confronts her. Both now work in industrial security for corporate giants whose CEOs hate each other. Flashbacks fill us in: is it coincidence that he sees her in Grand Central? In about a week, one of the firms is going to announce a revolutionary product. Under the guise of helping that corporation's rival, can Ray and Claire work their own theft and find an independent buyer? To work together, using the corporate rivalry to their advantage, they would have to trust one another - difficult, if not impossible. Or, is one playing the other?

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Plot Keywords:

product | con | spy | dubai | flashback | 

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Taglines:

Outwit. Outspy. Outsmart. Outplay. Then get out.

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Genres:

Crime | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [es] Official site [fr]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Spanish Russian German

Release Date:

20 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Duplicidad

Filming Locations:

Atlantis Casino, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£796,244 (UK) (20 March 2009)

Gross:

$40,559,930 (USA) (22 May 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Laura Bickford Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Claire Stenwick is named for classic-era movie actress Barbara Stanwyck.

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Goofs

When Ray catches up Claire in Rome, her hair length changes: when Ray followed her, it was on a short ponytail/bun but ends up to be on her shoulder when they face.

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Quotes

Ray Koval: You smell great.
Claire Stenwick: Oh please, I smell like a rental car.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Monsters vs Aliens/The Haunting in Connecticut/12 Rounds (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Sicilia"
Written and Performed by John H. Skehan III (as John Skehan)

User Reviews

Duped to the End

Having just finished the enormously disappointing 'The International,' a 2009 espionage thriller starring Clive Owen, I can't believe I saw 'Duplicity'…another 2009 espionage thriller starring Clive Owen. Sue me, I'm a Julia Roberts fan, I actually like Owen – we all make mistakes so no judgments on some projects, and I love a good 'Ocean's Eleven'-type spy/dark comedy. Fortunately, after having to take several breaks in 'Duplicity' and wanting to turn this off for good, I stuck through to the end. I'm glad I did. Few horrible movies, as I thought this was slowly becoming, reach out and grab me in the closing. Perfect movie? By no means; it's barely average, but if you allow yourself, like I did, to reach the climax, you'll probably be equally surprised. After roughly three-dozen "two weeks ago," "ten years ago," etc, flashbacks, you'll learn Roberts and Owen are capers in love attempting to make a heist (and life) together using their trained skills. After awhile, they settle down between two rivaling companies bent on cosmetology, products, etc. You, the viewer, pick up clues along the way on whose side who's on and who you can trust. Big problems with the film started with an maddening slow-mo Wilkinson/Giamatti intro, then the endless boxed in scenes (dang, I know style, but this was as ridiculous and annoying as Lee's 'Hulk' comic book, uh, approach to minimizing the screen) and with the extreme lack of chemistry between the two leads. Sure, Owens is swift and good, but Roberts looks fresh off the 'Ocean's' set, with almost zero charisma she was built on in the early 90s. In fact, she just looks tired. Motherhood might do that. Nevertheless, it had its moments, and the end ties all the confusion you'll have. I certainly did until the last act.