Movie Review: Deception

[xrr rating=2/5]

Deception
2008, 107mins, R
Director: Marcel Langenegger
Writer: Mark Bomback
Cast includes: Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams, Charlotte Rampling, Maggie Q]
Release Date: 25th April 2008

Deception isn’t quite as bad as most erotic thrillers put into production these days, but then it’s not really as genuinely saucy or sexy as its marketing material would try to have the public believe. With this project Fox clearly wants punters to think this is an ample chance to catch it’s three photogenic stars in the buff, it’s not and whilst I will say it’s a grade above most of its DTV counterparts Deception remains a questionable use of your time or money.
Jonathan (Ewan McGregor) is a timid and reclusive accountant who has nothing bordering on either a social or love life. He’s a ghost in the office and hasn’t the guts to talk to women he finds attractive or even his Landlord concerning a leaking pipe in his apartment. Things change however when he meets Wyatt (Hugh Jackman) the exact opposite of Jonathan, good with women, confident and charismatic to boot. The two form an unusually good friendship and before long Wyatt introduces Jonathan to a little secret of his: a millionaire’s sex club. At first nervous to get involved Jonathan soon gets into the swing of things and meets S (Michelle Williams)- a charming and gorgeous blonde who he finds an instant connection with. However one night whilst staying together Jonathan is beaten and S is captured by a mysterious assailant- leaving him in a situation where he has to locate women who he knows precious little about, or it’s his ass in jail.
The three A listers leading Deception each underperform, but actors of this caliber at their worst are still better than the no-namers who usually occupy this sort of picture. McGregor makes a convincing nerd at the movies start but he fails to really take the character anywhere beyond this stereotype as the story unfolds. Jackman is much the same a convincingly cocky and charming entity at the start but he brings nothing else to the table despite crucial plot developments. Michelle Williams can be a strong actress on her day and with a good part, sadly this marks neither. S is pure eye candy and plot device, she has no humanity and Williams makes little effort to inject any into her.
As a thriller Deception is mediocre- it engages in the opening stages and threatens to deliver an interesting story but by the half hour mark it’s clear routine has set in. The final stages of the film look to have been copied out of several much better films and thus not only does this render the pictures conclusion redundant but also largely obvious. Along the way the movie seems to be about to pull something exciting out of its sleeve but it never really does, there are moments which achieve a thrill but ultimately they’re too few and far between to really satisfy. The dialogue penned by Die Hard 4.0 scribe Mark Bomback is poorly written and grates when even these high class actors say it.
Anybody looking for an erotic thrill won’t find that much in Deception, only Ewan McGregor and a selection of bit part actresses show any skin. Jackman
remains fully clothed for the duration and the best you get with Michelle Williams is a distanced shot of her cleavage. Charlotte Rampling and Maggie Q also show up in skimpy costumes but had director Langenegger cut out a few nipple shots this would be essentially PG-13 level sexiness.
The movie is stylishly shot by Langenegger but poorly paced, at 107 minutes in length this could have been at least 10 shorter. Instances in the screenplay that further the plot really need not be as laboured as they are onscreen, and had the editing just been that bit sharper other flaws such as the generic story arc might have been easier to forgive. Sadly the movie lasts just long enough so as to fully emphasize the fact we’ve seen it all before.
Diehard fans of thrillers will scoff at Deception and so probably to will regular movie goers. Any sort of exposure to this sort of film will cause the viewer to work out the oncoming twists and it’s likely they first experienced them in better assembled productions. If you’re a novice to the genre there may be enough giddy moments to keep you entertained, but on the whole this is a picture the majority can afford to skip.