If you've left me a rating on either my Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus or In the Valley of Elah reviews...
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Jonathan is an honest, hard-working accountant permanently detached from other people and often desperately lonely. A chance meeting with smooth lawyer Wyatt Bose introduces him to a whole new world of possibilities. Through him, Jonathan learns about "The List", a group of beautiful, powerful people who meet for anonymous sex. It gives the accountant a new outlook on life and brings him excitement and the frisson of danger. He even thinks he might have met the woman of his dreams. But then she disappears and Jonathan finds himself implicated in something bigger than he could ever imagine…
Debut director Marcel Langenegger's first film looks like a real shoestring production. He uses low grade film, which should add authenticity if employed correctly, but just looks cheap. It only works when we are introduced to Jonathan in his depressing, bleached-out office world as it sets the tone for his life as a drone. But it takes the shine off the glamorous world Wyatt introduces him to. It makes the montage of sex with anonymous partners appear sordid rather than sensual. It doesn't help that almost all the women are shown as nothing more than sex objects, so a sense of casual misogyny permeates the film. Langenegger has a frustrating habit of shooting the back of his characters' heads. He may think it is avant-garde. But it suggests that he doesn't care about them as people and it robs the audience of vital clues to their emotional states and thoughts. It is indicative of a larger problem; a lack of character development. There
are other little things that make the film feel cheap and they include wobbly camerawork and out-of-focus shots. These suggest that either the director is lazy or he didn't have enough money to re-shoot failed footage. The players are nothing other than stereotypes with character trajectories that become obvious as soon as they appear on screen. And if you've seen the trailer or any other film featuring a conman with a blackmail plot, you'll know exactly where the story is going from the outset. Consequently every twist is predictable, making for an extremely dull and formulaic attempt at a thriller. The pacing is stodgy and the movie drags at a-hundred-and-eight minutes.
The screenplay by "Diehard 4.0" scribe Mark Bomback is derivative in the extreme. It feels like a rip-off of the already dreadful "Derailed" and not a very artful one at that. The set-up has been seen in dozens of thrillers and practically every episode of TV's "Hustle". But the reason it doesn't work is because it is so contrived. The way Jonathan and Wyatt meet is highly improbable; why would a high-powered lawyer randomly introduce himself to an auditor late at night and suggest they smoke a joint together in the office? Surely that alone would sound alarm bells for the accountant? But then for a woman he spots on the subway to turn up on The List adds up to one coincidence too many, even before she mysteriously disappears. Let's face it, as the film is called "Deception", we know it's highly unlikely that anyone is who they first appear to be and it makes it stupidly easy to spot the twists.
The characterisation is pitiful. Jonathan and Wyatt are polar opposites just to make the contrast between them as great as possible. So while the former is an exceptionally dull accountant living the life of an office drone and with little going for him socially, the latter is a high-powered, risk-taking lawyer, except he's not. But he has all the trappings of wealth and position, so we are supposed to assume that Jonathan wants to emulate him. But it's too easy for the mild-mannered auditor to accept Wyatt's extra-curricular activities and indulge in them himself. So you never feel there's enough of a dilemma for him about what he's doing and the fact he's willing to sleep with so many strangers makes his attachment to the mystery woman all the less believable. Speaking of whom, the young lady in question is so badly under-written that it's obvious she's the bait in a honey trap as soon as she appears. The lack of depth to any of the players makes it impossible to care about any of them and all their actions feel contrived. The dialogue is stilted and lacks authenticity, as much of it is expository.
I'm all for actors challenging themselves and widening the range, but clearly the only reason Hugh Jackman was cast as Wyatt Bose was because he produced the movie. The former musical theatre star can do charm very well, so he convinces in the first portion of the film. But he doesn't have the requisite menace to pull off the character shift midway through the story, so he feels miscast.
Ewan McGregor is getting too old to play unworldly naïfs - it simply doesn't ring true. But at least he looks like an accountant; pasty, grey and nebbish. It's a shame his wavering American accent further damages your ability to suspend disbelief and the script renders him an utter idiot. So it's nigh on impossible to care about him. Michelle Williams is in sultry mode as McGregor's mystery woman. But she has little to do other than pout and pose in a role so badly written it makes her function and motives clear from the outset.
The original music by Ramin Djawadi feels like it was composed to fit the film this was supposed to be. It features tense string arrangements, dark percussion and discordant piano to set the scene. Spanish and electric guitar are used to suggest the excitement Wyatt brings to Jonathan's life. Michelle Williams' character warrants bright piano and strings and the accountant's sexual exploits are accompanied by dark cellos and rising electric guitar. After being attacked, there is cacophonous electronica and discordant strings and tolling chimes for a major betrayal. However, the music has a tendency to be overpowering and feel melodramatic as it is bigger than the film it accompanies.
"Deception" is an exceedingly disappointing stab at the thriller genre. Its title alone gives the game away, so you know what to expect from the story and the characters. Marcel Langenegger's direction is inexpert to say the least, making every aspect of the movie drab and predictable. The writing is formulaic, the characterisation weak and the acting reflects more of the performers' desire to get paid than to create something special and believable. It feels like a hasty made-for-TV movie that may not appear as dire on the small screen as it did at the cinema. But odds are it will be just as awful if not worse. Don't bother spending money to see it and if it appears in your TV schedule, try to be out when it's on so you don't waste almost two hours of your life on it.
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May 14th, 2008
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