"The Double" Is Post-Cold War Spy Film, Grade-B Hokum

Comments (0) By Andrew Schenker Thursday, Nov 3 2011

The Double, Michael Brandt's post-Cold War spy film, is grade-B hokum, but it's not without its occasional generic thrills. Apparently more adept at staging individual set pieces than he is at building tension, creating believable characters, or stringing together a coherent narrative, Brandt places his best sequence, a successful jailbreak turned grisly murder, near the film's beginning, and he at least keeps the action coming. Which is fortunate, because everything else about the film, which involves the odd-couple pairing of grizzled out-of-retirement CIA agent Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere) and Harvard-hotshot/FBI rookie Ben Geary (Topher Grace) in order to catch a newly resurfaced Russian assassin known only as "Cassisus," is downright risible. Whether it's the clumsy use of flashbacks, the air of manufactured portentousness, or the completely unbelievable casting of Grace in a role that requires a certain authority utterly lacking in the actor's performance, almost every move seems a misstep. Brandt's worst blunder is to give away one of the film's biggest reveals early on, a strategy that not only eliminates a key element of suspense but forces the filmmaker to pile on a series of more and more outrageous twists at the end. (Rated PG-13)

Related Content

Check out this week's featured ad for Restaurants
More Ads >>
 
My Voice Nation Help
2 comments
  Livefyre
Newest | Oldest
 
VOICE Daily Deals

Now Showing

Find capsule reviews, showtimes & tickets for all films in town.

Powered By VOICE Places

Slideshows

Join My Voice Nation for free stuff, film info & more!

Now Trending

Box Office

  1. Star Trek Into Darkness, 70.2 mil, 83.7 mil
  2. Iron Man 3, 35.8 mil, 337.7 mil
  3. The Great Gatsby, 23.9 mil, 90.7 mil
  4. Pain & Gain, 3.2 mil, 46.7 mil
  5. The Croods, 3.0 mil, 177.0 mil
  6. 42, 2.8 mil, 88.8 mil
  7. Oblivion, 2.3 mil, 85.6 mil
  8. Mud, 2.2 mil, 11.7 mil
  9. Peeples, 2.2 mil, 7.9 mil
  10. The Big Wedding, 1.2 mil, 20.3 mil
Movie Title, Weekly Earnings, Total Earnings

Movie Trailers

More News Stories >
©2013 New Times BPB, LLC, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Broward / Palm Beach

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city