The spy thriller is a pretty simple genre. Throw in some tension, a little backstabbing and a clever twist at the end and the flick should be pretty fun. That's one of the reasons why ""Duplicity,"" the new espionage tale from ""Michael Clayton"" director and ""Bourne Ultimatum"" screenwriter Tony Gilroy, looked like such an enjoyable spy romp. But somewhere along the line, Gilroy forgot to inject the fun into what should have been a happy-go-lucky movie.
The setup seems promising enough. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star as two ex-spies who team up after a romantic tryst in Rome. Leaving the international missions of the CIA and MI-6 behind them, they go into the field of corporate espionage working for two CEOs (Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti) who will do anything to destroy each other. But in reality, Roberts and Owen are out for themselves, working to manipulate their respective bosses and fleece them out of millions.
All the pieces are there for some good old-fashioned spy hijinks. There are two stars who have great chemistry and plenty of opportunity for intrigue. Plus, with the economy as it is, who wouldn't want to see a couple greedy corporate executives get their due?
What ""Duplicity"" is missing are the strands to link these pieces together. Roberts and Owen's chemistry doesn't amount to much without some snappy dialogue to drive it. Aside from a couple early scenes of snarky banter, the entire script pretty much falls flat. Even worse, many of the film's great early lines pop up again in later scenes, which then proceed to over-analyze the dialogue and suck any semblance of life out of it.
Instead, the great lines are replaced by double crosses, which are great when they are unexpected, but ""Duplicity"" contains so many of them the level of mistrust grows to exhausting levels. Granted, this is central to the main relationship between Roberts and Owen, and to a certain extent it is understandable. But Gilroy takes the paranoia to such extreme levels that it is hard to believe how any two people could stay together, romantically or professionally, under such circumstances.
The greedy corporate executives are one of ""Duplicity's"" few strengths. Giamatti is perfectly cast as a neurotic, take-no-prisoners big-business demon, and Wilkinson does a great job of portraying a certain level of malice lying behind his eerily calm nature. The duo also accounts for by far the most enjoyable scene in the movie, a hilarious opening credits slow-mo brawl on an airport tarmac. Unfortunately, their parts are too small to redeem the film's lacking aspects. Wilkinson's character in particular feels underdeveloped, as he could have used a little more time to chew the scenery and set up the plot's ultimate conflict.
In a way, Giamatti and Wilkinson's roles are symbolic of ""Duplicity"" itself. There really is some great stuff there, just not enough of it to fill a two-hour feature. Gilroy does a fine job of crafting the bare bones for a great spy thriller, but that skeleton is all that ""Duplicity"" has.
Grade: C
