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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The cast is greater than the scenes, October 4, 2008
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):
1. Geeky accountant meets smooth-talking lawyer
2. Geek spots attractive blonde on train
3. Audience suffers stereotype overload
4. Second-hand designer suit and cell phone switcheroo leads to geek getting a life
5. ... and maybe losing his
Great performances by Ewan McGregor (geeky accountant), Hugh Jackman (smooth-talking lawyer), Charlotte Rampling (smoldering seductress) and Michelle Williams (attractive blonde) are almost eclipsed by an unrealistic screenplay involving the intertwining of two different storylines into a forgettable psychological drama, that starts well, but then is frittered away to absolutely nothing much.
You already know pretty much what's going on just by reading the title, so I'll just add that it involves mutually agreeable short term relationships, financial finagling and ruthless rub-outs. There are many twists, and a couple of them (or at least one in particular) are quite good.
Rent it for the acting, but it probably won't initiate a purchase decision.
Amanda Richards, October 4, 2008
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, February 8, 2009
You know the drill. Don't trust strangers. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is (too good to be true). There's no such thing as love at first sight. Money rules. Love conquers all.
Mix all of these maxims together and you get this film. Add first-rate acting by the entire cast and you get solid entertainment.
Ewan McGregor plays Jonathan McQuarry, a painfully shy auditor who works major corporate accounts. Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman) meets the super lonely auditor and quickly becomes his best (only?) friend. Bose gives McQuarry access to a sex club that seems to be, well, too good to be true. Michelle Williams is the enigmatic "S" who captures the shy man's heart. Everything goes just smashingly until the other shoe drops. And, of course, other shoes always drop.
I don't want to give anything away. The suspense starts early on and continues until the final frame. Others have attacked this film for being too cliched or formulaic. There's something to this criticism, but I found the acting and direction more than powerful enough to earn five stars.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
White bread, bologna, no mayo, September 29, 2008
That's about how exciting this movie was. Don't blame the actors though, they tried. In the end, Deception was the proverbial "silk purse on a sow's ear"--the silk purse being the actors, the cinematography--the technical infrastructure of the film; the sow's ear being the script, which reminded me of so many other movies that I'd seen and also didn't like.
The storyline involves an isolated timid accountant (Ewen McGregor)and his chance--cliche'd meeting with a cool, sophisticated, and charismatic corporate lawyer (Hugh Jackman)who introduces McGregor's shy character to a world of corporate hi-rise whore-houses. After sexing a thousand call-girls in just about every yoga position imaginable, McGregor's numbed "sexually awakened" character comes full-circle--being a stud isn't all that he thought it would be. Involuntarily, he falls for one of his many call-girls, a limp, beautiful blonde who happens to be in cahoots with Jackman's character to blackmail McGregor into moving millions into an offshore banking account.
See, I told you that you'd seen this film before. Throughout Deception--fitting title--I anticipated that big moment--that surprise--that would ease the slow pregnant feeling growing from my stomach into the seat of my pants. When the end-credits scrolled down the screen I realized that I'd just wasted two hours of my life--two hours that I'll never see again--on a bad movie. If you like good cinematography, professional--and dry-- acting, and sex see deception. If you want to see a decent movie, save your money and your time.
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