Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) is a lonely and socially awkward tax auditor who becomes friends with Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman), a slick, ultra-confident Manhattan lawyer.
The friendship seems suspect from the beginning; however Jonathan is too lonely to question his good fortune. Especially when Wyatt accidentally switches cell phones, setting off a series of credibility-defying moments. Jonathan joins a sex club of busy professionals who are so frantic scaling the corporate ladder they don’t have time to date. The members prize their anonymity but Jonathan is taken with “S” (Michelle Williams) and wants to know her. He falls in love, which will be his undoing.
Wyatt comes back into the picture just in time to make Jonathan squirm. The steamy sex is a distant memory as the movie switches gears into a cat-and-mouse game that leads to murder, embezzlement and identity switches.
Most of the characters are hiding their true natures, with dramatic unveilings and plot twists. Jackman obviously enjoyed himself playing a sinister villain while McGregor is believable as the vulnerable McQuarry if a bit dull. Michelle Williams pales in comparison to her two leading men.
Deception is a guilty pleasure, titillating, tawdry but ultimately unsatisfying.
If you liked my post, feel free to subscribe to my rss feeds
BlogoSquare