The pairing of the widely respected actor Richard Gere (“Nights in Rodanthe,” “Pretty Woman”) and the former “That 70s Show” star Topher Grace (“Spider-Man 3,” “Mona Lisa Smile”) may seem strange, yet the actors’ relationship in their new film “The Double” develops into the central idea of the plot, capturing the audience’s attention.
The film begins with a fictitious senator, Ben Gordon, found murdered in the same trademark fashion of a believed-dead Russian assassin nicknamed Cassius.
An expert on the topic and the man assigned to bring Cassius down in the 1980s, Gere’s character Paul Shepherdson, a former CIA operative, is partnered with a new FBI field agent, Ben Geary (Grace), whose obsession with Cassius and his methods is thought helpful to the investigation into Cassius’s whereabouts in the United States.
In the beginning of the film, Shepherdson and Geary have a strained relationship, and Shepherdson doubts Geary because of his youth and lack of experience.
However, Geary’s expertise in the subject of Cassius brings him to a conclusion about Cassius’s location that comes as a greatly surprising plot twist for the audience.
“The Double” was a decent movie that had a fair amount of action and suspense. However, the dialogues between all of the characters, including another veteran actor, Martin Sheen (“Apocalypse Now,” “The West Wing”), who plays Highland, Shepherdson’s boss, were strained and poorly delivered. None of the actors in the film seemed to have much passion for what they were saying or doing.
Nevertheless, the plot and its twists redeemed this movie. The film delves into Shepherdson’s past, giving vital information into his actions throughout the film.
The manner in which the storyline is played out in its setting, Washington, D.C., makes much sense and keeps the movie flowing. The twists are shocking, yet a few of them did not do much to alter the movie as it was; they simply added to the complexity of the characters.
Overall, “The Double” was a movie stereotypical of its genre with an intriguing plot.
However, the disappointing acting performances of all of the major actors in this film were enough for the movie to be considered a bit less highly than it would have been if the actors lived up to their potentials.
