Duplicity

I like a good corporate espionage thriller. Unlike Michael Clayton, where lives were at stake and people were harmed, here we are trying to steal the next great personal hygiene product, which just makes for good, clean fun (pun intended). The stage is set with the opening scenes which introduce the players (spies Julia Roberts and Clive Owen) and the stakes (a no holds barred fist-fight on the tarmac between rival CEO's Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson). This is a personal vendetta and big money all wrapped together. The fun thing is, we never quite know who is playing whom. The story does an excellent job of cutting back to the past to fill in some missing piece, without introducing timeline confusion. And in the end, we have completely bought into the characters mindset as we sit and review what just happened, trying to piece together cause and effect, player and played.
4-stars