Product Details

• Actors: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen, Stephen Moyer, Odette Yustman
• Directors: Michael Brandt
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
• DVD Release Date: January 31, 2012
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B005NKIPUY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,619 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Double" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Double has plenty of action, switchbacks, and double-crossing drama to satisfy the most jaded action fan. Director Michael Brandt (making his directorial debut) cut his writing chops on such fast-paced fare as 2 Fast 2 Furious and the remake of 3:10 to Yuma, so he's right at home moving the plot along at a feverish clip. Richard Gere is enigmatic and just sympathetic enough as Paul Shepherdson, a retired CIA operative who's brought back into action after the assassination of a United States senator to help track down his long lost (and supposedly dead) Cold War nemesis. He's assigned by his boss, authoritatively played by Martin Sheen, to work with a rookie agent, Ben Geary (Topher Grace, who can hold his own against these film lions just fine, thank you). The Double has elements of the best buddy flicks, a little bit of the Bourne films, and more than a little homage played to The Usual Suspects. Stephen Moyer plays a very believable menace to the free world. But is he the dreaded Cassius? As the tension rises and the plot thickens, one wishes Gere had a bit of a harder edge--like, say, a mid-career Harrison Ford or Samuel L. Jackson. Yet in some ways the "soft" casting of Gere helps keep the plot aloft. The Double is a perfect popcorn spy caper that will have the viewer guessing until nearly the end of the film. But will that be too late? --A.T. Hurley

Product Description

When a United States Senator is brutally murdered, the evidence points to a Soviet assassin code-named Cassius, who was long-thought to be dead. Two men who know Cassius best are thrown together to catch him. Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere, An Officer and a Gentleman) is a retired CIA operative who spent his career tracking Cassius around the globe. Ben Geary (Topher Grace, Spider-Man 3) is a hotshot young FBI Agent and family man who has studied the killer's every move. Ben thinks he knows Cassius, but Paul knows he is dead wrong. Now, time is running out to stop this merciless killing machine before he finds his next target. Martin Sheen (The Departed), Odette Yustman (Cloverfield) and Stana Katic (Castle) costar in this tense thriller from the co-writers of Wanted and 3:10 to Yuma that will keep you guessing until the very last shot.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 82 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars THEN THAT'S ALL YOU'LL EVER BE... January 14, 2012

By Michael TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Blu-ray

Richard Gere, a retired CIA agent is called back from retirement to find a Soviet assassin believed to have been dead. A senator was murdered with the killer using the same MO as code name "Cassius" a former Russian agent assassin who was never caught. Gere is paired with Topher Grace, a young desk jockey from the FBI. Topher studied Cassius and wrote his thesis on him. He believes Cassius is alive and retired in the US and is the recent killer. Gere claims it is a copy cat killer and does not want to work with Topher.

There is an early plot twist, something we get enough hints to clue us in. Even though Topher lacks field experience he is fairly savvy. As they seek out Cassius, bodies start to accumulate. Martin Sheen plays the head of the CIA. While an early mystery is solved for us, there are others that exist. There are action scenes, killings, and drama. I felt the acting brought the film down. Gere was wrong for that role. I really would have liked a hipper Travolta. I did enjoy the soundtrack, which was a mild Russian pagan metal with a good drum beat. Makes for a decent spy drama rental. 3 1/2 stars. Gere fans can take it to 4 stars as he looks like he has stayed in pretty good shape for a man his age.

No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Mild swearing.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, But Far-Fetched January 20, 2012

By Michael B. Druxman

Format:DVD

THE DOUBLE is an entertaining, at times far-fetched, espionage thriller in which retired CIA operative Richard Gere joins forces with rookie FBI agent Topher Grace to catch "Cassius," a Cold War-era Soviet assassin who has resurfaced and is now killing more people, including a U.S. Senator.

That's all I'm going to tell you about the plot of THE DOUBLE, because if I reveal more, I will be a Spoiler. There are a couple of surprising plot twists in this film, one of which even surprised me. That's not an easy thing to do.

On the other hand, that final twist is where the believability factor comes into play, but I won't say more.

The cast, which includes Stephen Moyer, and Martin Sheen, is very good and director Michael Brandt, who wrote the screenplay with Derek Haas, keeps the film, apparently shot in Washington, D.C., moving along at a nice pace.

Extras on the DVD from Image Entertainment include producer's interviews, plus audio commentary by Brandt and Haas.

© Michael B. Druxman

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Double January 31, 2012

By Carlos E. Velasquez

Format:Blu-ray

[[VIDEOID:mo1LW6R6Y5DRZLL]]Richard Gere is certainly one of the good old time movie stars that we still have around. His career has had ups and downs, and I don't know how he will be judged in cinema's history. But he has a charisma that is difficult to ignore, and you wish he could reach greater heights. This is what I felt when I watched "The Double," an electrifying and intriguing film that will keep you glued to your seat until the very end.

The film opens with the assassination of US Senator Dennis Darden (Ed Kelly), who we briefly see earlier on TV arguing with another senator about Russia's resurgence. We then meet Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), a retired CIA agent who is an expert on an extremely dangerous Russian spy by the codename of Cassius, who is suspected to be the senator's assassin. Shepherdson is informed by Tom Highland (Martin Sheen) that he will be partnered with Ben Geary (Topher Grace), who happens to be an FBI expert on Cassius, too. Shepherdson objects this decision, because Geary's experience on Cassius is only on paper, and he doesn't have the instinct to read or understand the soviet assassin. After a while, as you probably guessed, they get to work together. But that is when the story takes a quick turn, and we very early get to know who the real Cassius is, which entirely changes the dynamic of the film, making us guess until the film's final frame.

I have always enjoyed great, non-formulaic, intelligent spy movies, and "The Double" is one of them. It truly gives you food for thought in regards to the people around us. The DVD has an audio commentary by writer-director Michael Brandt and writer-producer Derek Haas, and more. (USA, 2011, color, 98 min plus additional material).

Reviewed on January 30, 2012 exclusively by Eric Gonzalez for Image Entertainment Blu-ray.