Weekly Review -- Seeing double?

Deception (2008) -- Somewhere between Basic Instinct, Fight Club and Pacific Heights lies Marcel Langenegger's Deception. I am still not sure how to classify this one, since it leaves a strange impression of a promise not fully realized. Auditor Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) is stuck in a rut of his life, until he meets mysterious and rather pompous attorney Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman). Wyatt does not waste any time in his attempts to make Jonathan's life exciting, introducing his green friend to the so-called List -- an anonymous sex club involving random encounters and guaranteed discretion. It is not too long after Jonathan gets involved with the List that a murder is committed and he becomes the prime suspect... The main problem with the movie is the fact that the story often feels stilted. It does not have a natural, logical flow to it, which might be due to the editing process, some contrived twists or even some illogical turns of events. Why would Jonathan, who does not seem open to begin with, get high with and tell his life story to a complete stranger? Why does the police not investigate the place of business Wyatt has mentioned to Jonathan as his law firm? How come there are no witnesses to be found? These questions beg for answers, but to no avail. I also felt that the List's potential could have been explored more, particularly in the police investigation. The one good thing about the movie is the acting. Jackman once again proves his versatility, oozing self-assured pretense and sleaze throughout the movie, while McGregor has great timing in showing Jonathan's various sides, many of which we learn about as the story unfolds. Michelle Williams brings somber appeal to a mostly thankless role, while Charlotte Rampling is a delight as one of the List's clients. I also found Dante Spinotti's cinematography eerily glamorous, providing a perfect backdrop for the events. Taking all these factors into account, it is a shame that the writers did not delve further into the interesting story and made it more consistently suspenseful. Although worth seeing for the talented performers, Deception does not bring anything new to the thriller genre and is far from being as deliciously twisted as it could have been.

6/10