DVD Review: Deception

Movie Info:
Writer: Mark Bomback
Director: Marcel Langenegger
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Maggie Q, Natasha Henstridge, Charlotte Rampling
Rating: R
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Info: April 25, 2008
Theatrical Release:
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.99

I tend to like movies that Ewan McGregor is in. I thought he was the best part of the Star Wars prequels, he was excellent in Moulin Rouge and he gave a stand out performance in Trainspotting. Every once in a while, Ewan makes a doozy of a movie, like Eye of the Beholder. That movie just absolutely sucked. Then there are movies that the general public isn’t overly thrilled with, but for the most part, I truly enjoy these movies. The Island is one of these films and Deception seems to fit more in this category.

Of course, when it comes to Deception I must say I find one thing highly disappointing and that is the end of the film. I was into this film up until nearly the end and then it got quite ridiculous. Some might use the word trite. Ultimately, the ending ruined a perfectly good film otherwise. I don’t want to say I can see why other critics hated this movie, because I find that many critics are quite prudish when it comes to these types of films, but I can see why those who aren’t overly offended by such dark, sexually-thrilling films are disappointed with it; because none of the thrills can make up for the crappy ending!

All things considered, I could watch this movie over again, merely because the majority of the film is absolutely thrilling. The actors do a nice job. Ewan is Ewan, Hugh Jackman is good in nearly everything he’s in and Michelle Williams is incredibly alluring. I don’t usually go for blondes (yes I know it’s not real), but she puts the sex in sex appeal. Seriously, when did Michelle Williams become so hot? She has excellent chemistry with both men and Ewan proves he could have good chemistry with a paper bag if he had to pretend it was his lover, because he connects with nearly every woman he interacts with, on screen. I’m even talking about Charlotte Rampling, who is getting up there in years.

So, what’s the big deal about this movie featuring a rich people’s sex club? In that sense, it’s almost Eyes Wide Shut in nature. I found the premise to be intriguing and rumor has it ‘the list’ really exists, which really doesn’t surprise me all that much. I have heard the premise for this movie is far-fetched, especially the idea of the list, but I thought this was the most realistic aspect of the movie. Sure, the exact events of the movie are unlikely to happen, but it could happen under the right circumstances and who really wants too much reality in their movies anyway?

Deception Plot
Deception has one major flaw besides its ending. While it is thrilling and did hold my attention through most of it, it is incredibly predictable. This isn’t just apparent during the middle to end, but from the very beginning. I, at least, had doubts and suspicions far before I believe I am supposed to have them.

Deception tells the story of Jonathan McQuarry (McGregor), a somewhat straight laced auditor. Jonathan meets Wyatt Bose (Jackman) in his company board room, one night when he’s working late. The two get high and become friends. Wyatt is an attorney with the law firm Jonathan is auditing. When Jonathan is returning home, he notices a gorgeous blonde (Williams), who he tries to follow, but he doesn’t get off the train in time to get to know her. He arrives home where he finds one of his pipes is leaking and staining his wall.

Jonathan finishes his audit of the firm and tries to have a secretary page Wyatt. Wyatt shows up and he and Jonathan agree to play tennis together. After the tennis match, it is revealed that Wyatt is going out of town with his boss, to work on a case in London. After he leaves, Jonathan discovers he has Wyatt’s cell phone and Wyatt has his. He decides to hold on to the phone because he has no choice, until Wyatt returns.

It isn’t long before Jonathan is getting strange phone calls. Upon meeting with the callers, which include a woman named Simone (Natasha Henstridge), a Wall Street mogul (Charlotte Rampling), and that intriguing blonde he met at the train station, S (Williams), Jonathan discovers that Wyatt is a part of an anonymous sex club. However, he doesn’t want to be anonymous with S, and wants to see her again, which could prove to be deadly for both of them. Things aren’t what they seem in Deception or maybe they are. I might have already said too much, so I’ll leave the plot description at that.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
I can’t accurately list my feelings on the quality of Deception‘s audio and visual aspects. This is because 20th Century Fox sent me a screener copy of this movie. That means that this quality isn’t usually the finished quality that will appear on the fully released DVDs. What I do know about the audio and visual of the actual DVD release is this:

The video is displayed in an anamorphic widescreen format at a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The movie is in color.

There are three audio tracks available on this DVD. All of them feature Closed Captioning for the hearing impaired. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.

The tracks are:

English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Spanish Dolby Digital Surround
French Dolby Digital Surround

Bonus Features:
There are some relatively interesting bonus features included on the Deception DVD. The bonuses start out with your standard, movie commentary. This is provided by Marcel Langenegger, who is the director of Deception. This is actually a surprisingly good commentary. Langenegger is an interesting fellow. He talks during nearly every moment of the movie, providing an incredible amount of insight into his vision for Deception. While this is a great commentary, not even he can change my ideas about the ending of this movie. Still, this is probably one of the better commentaries I’ve heard this year.

Next up is the featurette, “Exposing the Deception”. This featurette is close to twenty minutes long and it looks at everything from the wardrobe and costuming to the casting. Something I learned about Deception and had not known going into this film was that Hugh Jackman helped to produce this movie. I get the point that the directors were trying to give this movie a Hitchcock or even a Kubrick-esque feel and I kind of see that, but ultimately, you really can’t compete with either of these classic directors, even if Michelle Williams could totally fit in a Hitchcock movie were one made today.

The next featurette is called “Club Sexy”. This looks into the truth behind clubs like the one Ewan’s character joins. They do exist and they sometimes do work the way “the list” worked. This includes a discussion with a sex therapist about how healthy and valid these types of clubs truly are, as well as the idea of having sex in such an anonymous way.

Finally, there are two deleted scenes, an alternative ending (which I liked a bit better then the cliche ending of the original film) and a series of trailers for other Fox releases.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
While I liked Deception for the most part, there were moments when I wasn’t totally into the film. Most of the action kept me glued to the screen, but near the end, everything got bumpy and jumbled up. The movie is decent though not exceptional, so you will definitely want to rent <em>Deception</em> before buying it. If you are offended by sex, sexuality and anything adult in nature (or if you’re too young for rated R movies) then you need not watch this movie. It’s as simple as that!

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Deception, DVD Review, 20th Century Fox, Screener, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams, Hugh Jackman

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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
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Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.