Part spy caper, part romantic comedy, Duplicity is one of the smartest and most satisfying movies I’ve seen in a long time. Sure, it’s rather lightweight, but I really can’t find a thing wrong with this film. Writer/director Tony Gilroy, who penned the Bourne trilogy and helmed the acclaimed Michael Clayton, has emerged as one of the brightest new talents in Hollywood today.

It doesn’t hurt that he has Julia Roberts and Clive Owen as his leads. Playing spies who are twice as smart as everybody around them but half as smart as they think they are, these two have chemistry to spare (as first displayed in the very different, very dark Closer). It’s nice to see them work a different sort of magic here, alternately fighting and flirting with playful glee. I can’t remember seeing Roberts this sexy or edgy before… I’ve always found her appealing but not attractive. But in Duplicity, she’s on fire. And Owen… let’s just say I sympathize with Stephen Colbert, who listed Clive Owen as one of the primary forces conspiring to turn him gay.

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