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

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

The match that Ewan McGregor's character sees is a real football match between two teams from Uruguay, which took place in 2006. The teams are called "Nacional" (white blue and red shirt) and "Peñarol" (black and yellow shirt).

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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

Wyatt Bose: So do you like this work?
Jonathan McQuarry: Yea, I do. The order of it appeals to me... the symmetry... It's alright, I guess, if you like working with numbers.

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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 At the Movies: Iron Man/Deception/Baby Mama/Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay/Deal/Zombie Strippers (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

Good performances, but predictable plot twists.

Jonathan McQuarry, is an accountant who strikes up a friendship with a lawyer called Wyatt Bose. After accidentally swapping phones, McQuarry starts getting calls from women who are part of a group of people who meet purely for casual sexual encounters. During one of these, McQuarry meets a blonde woman whom he becomes close to. When he's attacked and she disappears, he discovers more going on than he realized....

From the above plot description some people can figure out where the story is heading. I for one did. It's a sad fact that the script written by Mark Bomback holds no surprises at all. It also doesn't help that there are plot holes that aren't explained or dealt with. The direction by Marcel Langenegger is okay, but he doesn't add any tension into the movie.

What does save the movie are the three main performances. Michelle Williams is suitably enigmatic as the girl involved, Hugh Jackman as Wyatt Bose brings charm and charisma to the part, and Ewan McGregor as Jonathan McQuarry convinces as the straight, lonely accountant seduced into the events played out.

However the performances alone can't save the movie from being a disappointing, predictable thriller.