Two Can Play At This Game

Clive and Julia keep things steamy in Duplicity.

After an impressive directorial debut with Michael Clayton, Tony Gilroy takes a much more jovial approach with Duplicity, a quirky, yet entertaining cavalcade of espionage where we are constantly left guessing as to who’s backstabbing who and whether or not two former spies can pull off a heist that will change their lives.

The film opens with Ray Koval (played by the debonair Clive Owen, but what else would you expect?) meeting Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) at a July 4th celebration at the US Embassy in Dubai.  Ray is dashing and his persistence with Claire sets a nice tone for the film.  It is their first of many encounters that you continually admire.  The chemistry between Owen and Roberts is spot on.  His aggressive charm is countered with her skeptic wit and as expected, one thing leads another and they end up in his hotel room.  Little does he know that she is an agent for the CIA and that she has drugged him.  This allows her to avoid all of the social discomfort that comes at the conclusion of the casual “one night stand.”  I wish it were that easy all the time.