Deception

If there was ever a movie that was brought down by its title before a single frame of film unspools, it's Deception. The title alone pretty much gives most of the movie away, and the film's many not-so-subtle hints early on that things are not what they seem only make things worse. The film's original title was The List - which is obviously much more vague, and lets us walk in not knowing quite so much. I don't know why the Fox studio felt the change was necessary. As for the film itself, this is a perfectly mediocre erotic thriller that gets some milage out if its strong lead cast, and a surprisingly sleek and attractive look from first-time director Marcel Langenegger and cinematographer Dante Spinotti (X-Men: The Last Stand). This is the kind of movie that isn't really bad or terrible, though it's not exactly good either. It's just there, and then it starts to fade away from your mind almost the second the end credits pop up on the screen.

Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) is a meek and withdrawn accountant working late one night, when he gets a visit from the charismatic and charming attorney, Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman). The two hit it off immediately, but Wyatt can immediately tell that Jonathan is a man who has not exactly lived life. Jonathan's life gets a lot more interesting when the two accidentally grab each other's cell phones right before Wyatt is about to set off for a business trip in London. With Wyatt's cell phone in his possession, Jonathan is almost immediately drawn into an underground and private sex club where powerful business people have anonymous sex with one another after they call you on your phone, and arrange a meeting at a fancy hotel. There are no relationships, and no one is supposed to know the other's name. But when Jonathan has a sexual encounter with a woman he's long admired on the subway, he breaks the rule of the club, and has to know who she is. The woman, known only as "S" (Michelle Williams), eventually starts feeling close to Jonathan, and before long, they're meeting each other outside of the club. Things take a turn for the worse when the two are staying at a hotel in Chinatown, and Jonathan is viciously attacked by a mysterious assailant. When he comes to, S has gone missing, and no evidence has been left behind. As Jonathan races about the city, looking for answers, he quickly begins to realize that nothing is what it seems, and he is pulled into a world of blackmail and fraud.

Deception begins as a story about a sheltered and lonely man who is given an opportunity to live by leading another man's life, via that man's cell phone. Despite some awkwardly inserted hints that clue us in on to where things are going, the screenplay by Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard) keeps things pretty laid back here. Maybe a bit too much so, as the movie spends too much time with Jonathan having sex with one random woman after another, making us wonder where exactly the film is going sometimes. It certainly doesn't seem to be in any rush, but when Jonathan meets the lovely and mysterious S, the movie does begin to develop a nervous, but still somewhat passionate, attraction between the two. Both of them know that what they're doing violates the key rule of the club, but they cannot deny the attraction they hold for one another. This takes us almost an hour into the film, and since we know we're watching a thriller, something has to start happening soon. I almost wish it didn't have to, because as soon as S goes missing from the hotel room, things take a turn for the convoluted and the ridiculous. While it never gets quite as laughably bad as last week's thriller, 88 Minutes, the movie definitely drops the ball when it turns into a third rate thriller filled with predictable double crosses and even more predictable, if not ludicrous, plot developments.

It's at this point that the characters inhabiting the film stop being genuine people, and start coming across as puppets being manipulated by the overstuffed screenplay that thinks it's more clever than it really is. Deception seems to delight in pulling the rug out from under us in just about every scene once the "thriller" aspect of the plot kick in, but it doesn't seem to realize that we're one step ahead of it constantly. The title, and the many hints the film drops, already have let us know that certain characters (I'm trying my best to be vague here, though it's probably a lost cause) are not to be trusted, so we're left just waiting for the movie to catch up with us, and give us what we know is coming. It also completely drops the idea of the private sex club at this point of the story, and instead turns into a story of embezzlement fraud. This is an odd choice, as I can't think of many people who would find the second idea more intriguing than the first. The movie seems to want to thrill us, but everything is so predictable and mediocre, it's hard to get excited about anything.

The main thing that holds our attention are the undeniable screen presence of the talented actors that this limp project has mysteriously attracted. Ewan McGregor is watchable in just about anything, and he's no different here. While his performance is much more reserved here than normal, that's to be expected given the character he plays. His Jonathan is supposed to grow stronger during the course of the film, and he does display much more confidence in his later scenes. Hugh Jackman (who is also credited as one of the producers) gets to show off his charms much sooner in the film, and when his character is forced to make a change, he's more than up to the challenge. Same goes for Michelle Williams, who does what she can with the somewhat limited character the film provides her with. All of them seem to be game, but they are left at the mercy of a project that doesn't deserve their talents.

Deception is a predictable and lightweight thriller that goes on a bit too long, and doesn't really seem to know how to get us completely involved. The only thing we're left to admire is the surprising amount of skill that went into making such a shallow film. Given the actors involved, we expect great things, and while the performances don't disappoint, the movie itself does. Deception is completely forgettable, starting with its title, and will probably seem more at home sitting in the bargain bin at your local Blockbuster, than on the big screen.

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