Deception (2008)

An accountant is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend. But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist.

Director:

Marcel Langenegger

Writer:

Mark Bomback

Stars:

Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewan McGregor	...	Jonathan McQuarry
Hugh Jackman	...	Wyatt Bose
Michelle Williams	...	S
Bruce Altman	...	Lawyer #1
Andrew Ginsburg	...	Lawyer #2
Stephanie Roth Haberle	...	Assistant Controller
Christine Kan	...	Tennis Player
Dante Spinotti	...	Herr Kleiner / Mr. Moretti
Karolina Muller	...	Waitress (as Karolina Müller)
Agnete Oernsholt	...	Woman at Waldorf Astoria
Melissa Rae Mahon	...	Velvet Rope Dancer #1
Rachel Montez Minor	...	Velvet Rope Dancer #2 (as Rachel Montez Collins)
Holly Cruikshank	...	Velvet Rope Dancer #3
Deborah Yates	...	Tango Dancer
Bill Camp	...	Clancey Controller

Storyline

Cat and mouse. Jonathan McQuarry is an auditor in Manhattan, moving from office to office checking their books. While working late, a smooth and well-dressed man named Wyatt Bose chats Jonathan up, offers him a joint, and soon they're pals. When their cell phones are accidentally swapped, Jonathan answers Wyatt's phone to a series of women asking if he's free tonight. Jonathan discovers it's a sex club: busy powerful people meet each other anonymously in hotels. Jonathan falls for one of the club members, whom he knows only as "S," whom he's also seen on a subway. When she goes missing, patterns emerge and Jonathan faces demands involving violence and lots of money.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | heist | erotic thriller | scheme | scam | 

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Taglines:

When you're in this world, no one is who they seem, and everyone is playing the game.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, language, brief violence and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [United States] Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Cantonese

Release Date:

25 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The List

Filming Locations:

Instituto Cervantes, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,312,146, 27 April 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$4,597,760, 22 June 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rifkin-Eberts, Seed Productions, Dune Entertainment III

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the fact that this was filmed in high-definition video and Super 35, "Filmed in Panavision" is shown in the end credits.

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Goofs

When Ewan McGregor's character goes to work on the day he has to transfer the money he goes into the subway station clearly marked "1" line, when he is standing on the platform with Hugh Jackman's character as the train doors open the P.A. says "next stop Park Place" - the station "Park Place" is not served by the "1" line, nor is it anywhere near the station he gets on at.

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Quotes

Jonathan McQuarry: Why should I trust you... everything you told me was a lie
Wyatt Bose: Oh... not lies Jonathan... that was FOREPLAY... now you are F... !

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Crazy Credits

The end credit sequence initially lists Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor as "Ewan Jackman" and "Hugh McGregor" before forming the correct names.

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Connections

Featured in Passionate Process: Dissecting 'Deception' (2008)

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Soundtracks

Price You Pay
Performed by Unkle
Written by James Lavelle (PRS), Richard File (PRS), and Christopher Allen Goss (as Chris Goss) (PRS)
Published by Copyright Control/Baby Cole Music
Courtesy of Surrender All Ltd.
By Arrangement with Zync Music Inc.
Contains a sample of the track Eruption, taken from the album Prisms
by Michael Garrison [203920]
Courtesy of Siebenpunkt/Mint Records Germany.
Written by Michael Garrison
Licensed courtesy of Siebenpunkt/Mint Records
www.unkle.com

User Reviews

Mostly rubbish

Two things to say about this film.

Firstly, what an astoundingly rubbish title for a movie. "Deception"??? Oh, come on. Can you think of a more non-committal, less interesting, less imaginative title for a movie? I can't. All thrillers are about deception, of one kind or another.

"Deception" originally went into production under the title "The List". Hmm... Well... OK. I admit it. That title is also pretty bad. Then, "Deception" was going to be called "The Tourist". Now, I kind of like that. Sounds art house and kind of strange. Conjures up images of an observer, an outsider. Somebody not in the loop. In fact, pretty much the character that Ewan McGregor plays.

Secondly, what a completely rubbish movie! OK, maybe not completely rubbish. Just mostly rubbish.

"Deception" is a good 20 minutes too long. After a while it just seems to go on and on. The climax is misjudged and mistimed. The sex is typical Movies 24 soft core erotica, or maybe a Friday night Channel 5 movie from the early Noughties. You know the kind of thing. Soft focus humping to a soundtrack of screaming saxophone driven jazz. (Mind you don't trip over the cliché, there chief!) Also, every plot twist in "Deception" is signposted way in advance. If you don't get at least one of the major plot twists then, frankly, you really should give up watching movies. Pretty lame, pretty dull, pretty bad movie.

I said 'mostly rubbish', so some of it must have been good. Yes?

I did like the film's chilly, European ambiance. I liked the idea of powerful people, too isolated and too busy to develop human relationships. I liked Hugh Jackman's well dressed and cold instigator, Ewan McGregor's lonely accountant and Michelle Williams' bruised vulnerability. I thought all three leads made the most of their underwritten roles, but sadly it was not enough.

There is plenty of space in this world for a good, sexualised thriller (see the original "Basic Instinct"), but sadly "Deception" was nothing like a good sexualised thriller.