Deception (2008)

I think that some actors really don't read the script or there agent doesn't, they just do it and hope for something to happen. I have nothing good to say about this movie. It was pointless, stupid, unrealistic ( the annoying type), did I all ready say pointless? A lot of times during this movie you just zone out with the random junk they throw in, from the world and rules of a sex club to how a counting or whatever works like. I guess when I think about it there is one good thing I can say, both actors Jackman and McGregor are decent through this film. Even though I didn't even like our "hero" of this movie. (McGregor) all are miss leading and like I said before pointless in there actions. The ending just kills me , I yelled at how stupid it was. All in all its a really, really, really, R E A L L Y stupid movie and I would not recommend anyone to watch it.

Fmovies: Ewan McGregor never convinces as a meek accountant (who actually admits to sleeping with only four women in his entire life!) whose cell-phone is switched with that of a swinging New York City lawyer (Hugh Jackman, also none-too-convincing with a hack American accent). The accountant allows himself to be submerged in the high toned-yet-seamy lifestyle of the lawyer until he's set up to be the fall-guy in a crime. Continually disappointing, derivative, unimaginative thriller filmed in washed-out winter-blues and grays, crippled by an endlessly-protracted finale. With a seemingly large budget and talented actors in the cast (including Charlotte Rampling--still beautiful in her later years), blame for the picture's failure must fall on Mark Bomback's ridiculous screenplay, which could have been penned by any student just graduating film school. *1/2 from ****

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.

Deception fmovies. Is this the first thriller you have ever watched? Then you might be entertained a bit. If you have watched a few, you will not only see every twist and plot point coming before the screen writer had thought of it, but you will be able to guess the ending too ... Well actually you might be better off, watching the trailer, because there is not really anything good in the movie other than that. Because, erotic this one ain't. Not even suspenseful or anything like that ...

What is a saving grace then? Well if you will the actors. Although they are pretty stiff here too. But they have that B-movie appeal to them, a bit trashy actually. The so called "erotic" Scenes are only worth mentioning, for being anything, but that or even sensual! Although the montage is so trashy, that it's actually a bit fun (in a trashy way). The ending alone deserves a 2 out of 10 vote ... that is if you aren't actually too harsh towards it! Rather watch "Basic Instinct" again, if you want an erotic thriller ... heck even the second Basic Instinct has something going for it (if you count the trash factor in!). Anyway, just in case I wasn't clear enough: I wouldn't recommend watching this

This is a reasonably slick looking movie that falls flat on it's stupid face, as the movie starts it seems to hold promise, we obviously know there's a deception of some kind going on, but it's not quite clear what kind of setup it will be. By the time you see the end scene you will want to take whatever media the movie is on and smash it to bits for being so incredibly and utterly, ridiculously, pathetically STUPID.

Whoever wrote this script was borrowing heavily from a MUCH better movie. SKIP this movie, go watch the movie it ripped off:

The Spanish Prisoner.

PLOT: a charismatic new friend introduces a bored/boring accountant to some women that would normally be out of his league, it all seems to good to be true, then comes the gotchya. Unfortunately you will see it coming a mile away, and the end of the movie is so stupid, and so terrible you will really regret watching this dog. If they cut this movie in half and decided to re-shoot it with a believable ending, it might have been a 5, but this movie is a solid 1 because of the low IQ of the plot.

The Spanish Prisoner with Steve Martin is a thousand times better than this stupid dog, that ripped of that script and added some scantily clad women as window dressing and a completely unrealistic "love" interest.

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.