Manipulation

"The essence of lying is in deception, not in words." John Ruskin

The only deception in the film Deception is that you might expect a cool, modern thriller. WRONG. This piece of cinematic disappointment defines the dramatic descriptor "telegraph." In other words, if you didn't have an idea of what is to come from what is happening now, then you've not been to junk movies enough not to be surprised. Of course, you can feel right at home with the pervasive use of cell phones, but then you may watch enough TV to be used to them as dramatic device.

Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) is a dorky high-level auditor with the requisite glasses and outdated haircut who stumbles into a sex ring, aided by the urbane Wyatt Bose (High Jackman). As Jonathan enjoys himself picking the ever so sweet fruit from this vine, he falls in love with one of the anonymous partners, not a good thing to do.

The ensuing plot complications are as clichéd as clouds in Seattle—they don't always make sense, but, hey, this is the movies! The problem is that without a sharp script, the inconsistencies are more obvious and plot points just not credible, e.g., how does she magically appear at the right spot in a big city? or how can you commit a murder in a public park in Madrid without anyone around in broad daylight? or how can you get a phony passport on short notice? or how can you withdraw millions with that document especially since the photo ID online doesn't look close to your impersonation? or, oh, well, I'm not going to deceive you—this movie lacks credibility.

The trailer of this movie looked interesting.

The story is about an accountant Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman) who meets Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) – who in turn introduces Wyatt to a secret sex club. Wyatt falls in love with one of his acquaintances S (Michelle Williams) and gets involved in a blackmail by Jonathan who wants Wyatt to transfer a huge sum from a few bank account to Spain. Wyatt does that. Jonathan plants a bomb and kills Wyatt. I will leave the story here and not play spoilt sports.

The story starts with a psychological angle, moves to sexual contours, deceive, and blackmail. The movie moves slowly throughout, gains maximum interest in the deceiving part – holds your attention, but remaining times – it is just a usual dull affair.

Both Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor look great and act well. But the style of narration does not build up that interest to make a great cinema of a good story like this.

First time director Marcel Langenegger does a decent job in delivering a visually good cinema – good closeups, good acting, good music, good movements of camera – I think he has a good eye for making better movies.

I think there is a problem with the scripting of the movie. It takes the first 40 minutes to build the story, and gives 10 minutes of interest and falls back to a mundane thriller.

My rating started from 4.5 at the beginning of the movie, increased to 6.5 when it reached the deceive part, but pulmetted down to 5 by the end of the movie.

(Star 4.75 out of 10)

The writing and direction here are solid, but unspectacular, and if that were all there was, the movie, too, would be unspectacular. But what drives the entire endeavor is the acting. Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor are among that small group of actors who never give a bad performance, and that's certainly the case here. Michelle Williams, though, is another matter altogether: she is SO good, and SO deep, and SO nuanced, that she rises above what she had been in the past and simply makes this movie her own. Hers is one of those performances (there are two scenes where she delivers voluminous messages simply by a look, without a single word) that make you wholly reevaluate the actor's skill and intelligence; at least, it did that for me: I changed my opinion of her and her abilities, and I won't be able to look at her again in the way I had before. And I like experiencing that, so I like the movie much more for that fact. If you're a Michelle Williams fan, you really HAVE to see this film.

The thriller genre has been well explored and perfected over decades of cinema. While some familiar elements and conventions are to be expected in a new release, you would expect, at the very least, that a new entry tops the previous ones.

And sadly, Deception does not. The movie almost feels like a remake of Curtis Hanson's Bad Influence. A movie that was made almost twenty years ago and features two main characters that are carbon copies of those of McGregor and Jackman, only they were played respectively by James Spader and Rob Lowe.

Whatever "twists" are found in Deception, you see them coming from a mile and they fall flat. The acting? Everybody seems to be cashing his check. One-dimensional characters and an aimless plot make for a boring two hours. Even the "list" subplot feels tacked on and doesn't even provide any enjoyment, nor does it add anything to the film.

The photography is amazing but this is truly a poor Hollywood movie and one that you will be better off passing on, unless you are a die-hard fan of the genre or one of the main actors featured. All in all, a tremendous waste of talent and resources due to a crappy script.

Two things to say about this film.

Firstly, what an astoundingly rubbish title for a movie. "Deception"??? Oh, come on. Can you think of a more non-committal, less interesting, less imaginative title for a movie? I can't. All thrillers are about deception, of one kind or another.

"Deception" originally went into production under the title "The List". Hmm... Well... OK. I admit it. That title is also pretty bad. Then, "Deception" was going to be called "The Tourist". Now, I kind of like that. Sounds art house and kind of strange. Conjures up images of an observer, an outsider. Somebody not in the loop. In fact, pretty much the character that Ewan McGregor plays.

Secondly, what a completely rubbish movie! OK, maybe not completely rubbish. Just mostly rubbish.

"Deception" is a good 20 minutes too long. After a while it just seems to go on and on. The climax is misjudged and mistimed. The sex is typical Movies 24 soft core erotica, or maybe a Friday night Channel 5 movie from the early Noughties. You know the kind of thing. Soft focus humping to a soundtrack of screaming saxophone driven jazz. (Mind you don't trip over the cliché, there chief!) Also, every plot twist in "Deception" is signposted way in advance. If you don't get at least one of the major plot twists then, frankly, you really should give up watching movies. Pretty lame, pretty dull, pretty bad movie.

I said 'mostly rubbish', so some of it must have been good. Yes?

I did like the film's chilly, European ambiance. I liked the idea of powerful people, too isolated and too busy to develop human relationships. I liked Hugh Jackman's well dressed and cold instigator, Ewan McGregor's lonely accountant and Michelle Williams' bruised vulnerability. I thought all three leads made the most of their underwritten roles, but sadly it was not enough.

There is plenty of space in this world for a good, sexualised thriller (see the original "Basic Instinct"), but sadly "Deception" was nothing like a good sexualised thriller.