DVD Reviews

Deception – DVD Review

By June L. Sep 24, 2008, 14:02 GMT

An accountant is introduced to a mysterious, sex-dating club known as The List by his lawyer friend. He becomes enthralled in this new lifestyle, but he soon becomes the prime suspect in a womanâ??s disappearance and a multimillion-dollar heist. ...more

In an age of selfish individualism, Deception is a slick story of actions and repercussions, based on misplaced trust and set in a world that seems to be one façade after another.

Who is real, and what is the truth, and how does it all relate to Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) - a self-effacing accountant, who is caught up in a strange new world.

It has been a long time since I’ve seen a film that so subtly and yet immediately stirs up a sense of foreboding. In a manner reminiscent of Hitchcock’s thrillers, Deception takes the ordinary and twists it ever so slightly as to make it feel uncomfortably wrong, and yet the viewer is sucked right into the action along with Jonathan.

Both Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman who plays Wyatt Bose are amazing actors, and skillfully set up the premise of the film. Jonathan is a shy accountant, and Wyatt seems to be the type of well-intentioned person who befriends him and wants to bring him out of his shell of loneliness.

Every instinct of the viewer senses that element of something wrong, and in your mind you are shouting “Jonathan, be careful!” But Wyatt seems to be so kind and helpful, so interested in Jonathan and helping him to relax and meet girls.

A mix up of cell phones just before Wyatt leaves on a business trip, throws Jonathan into the adventure of his life. From one night stands with beautiful wealthy women who want “intimacy without intricacy” to actually meeting a girl that he has seen on the train and fallen for (Michelle Williams), Jonathan seems to be living a life he has only dreamt about. But there will be a price to pay.

Some critics have called Deception “predictable” but it seems to be more inevitable. It is a progression of events, building one on the other in the life of Jonathan, to free him from himself, but is that a good thing?

As the film opens everything seems to be in shades of gray. Jonathan himself has very little color, an indication perhaps of his drab existence. Once Wyatt comes on the scene, there are more black and white images, sharper definitions and lines, as if to indicate a decided personality. As Jonathan is introduced to “The List” his lines and shadows become darker, more defined, indicating that he is breaking through his limitations.

At the crucial moments when the old Jonathan would most likely have folded, the new Jonathan feels free to exhibit his intelligence, and to follow through with solving the mystery. The development of the story is more literary than cinematic, using images, but also using words, hints in the dialog as well as in the actions of the characters to further the plot. It is a movement from real to deception, to real to false, until everything is twisted into something not what it originally seemed.

Deception is presented on single disc in widescreen format, with a running time of 107 minutes. The audio track is available in English, French or Spanish, and there are also English or Spanish subtitles. Special features include a film commentary by Director Marcel Lagenegger.

Deception is an entertaining film, almost “noir” in sensibility, but with an elegance and flash of modern wealth, power and privilege.