By Rollie Nicholes
Staff Writer
The new film “The Double”, focuses on a hardworking office clerk whose life is being taken over by not only his physical identical double but his exact opposite in personality.
As confusing as the plot is, the movie does a quality job of clarifying it. The film is dark and scary which makes it seem like a horror film but it never succeeds in frightening the viewer. The suspense in this movie is exhilarating and the movie seems extremely predictable but ends up falsifying any prior ideas.
Simon is the original office clerk working in the government agency where James later arrives and proceeds to disrupt the workplace. To begin, James seems to be trying to help Simon become more extroverted but eventually gives up.
With James’ charisma, excitement and confidence, Simon is unable to keep up at work and quickly becomes the less appreciated. This aggravates Simon and leads him to doing unspeakable things.
James and Simon (Jesse Eisenberg) are polar opposites in personality yet reflect upon each other very well which helps blend their characters together. The acting done by Eisenberg in this film is believable and intriguing. His emotions run deep throughout the movie and he never has a dull moment.
The only criticism for Eisenberg;s performance would be that at times his speech is slurred and he speaks too quickly. This usually leads to the viewer missing a couple of words of dialogue here and there but it is nothing too extreme.
Hannah (Mia Wasikowska) is the beautiful blonde that works in the office with Simon that he has had a crush on for years. Hannah is deceptive and feisty while also capable of being oblivious to Simon’s feelings towards her.
Wasikowska’s performance in this film is shoddy compared to her co-star Eisenberg. She mumbles her words and many scenes in the film are nearly impossible to understand because of how softly she speaks. Her thick Australian accent aids in not being able to clearly understand all of her words but that is no excuse for speaking at such a low volume.
At the beginning of the film, the plot is extremely confusing and the movie has no storyline. The scenes jump all over the place leaving the viewer wondering what the movie is even about. Throughout the film, this plot unfolds and clarifies any doubts the viewer had.
Luckily, the acting done by Eisenberg in both parts of James and Simon saved this film and tied everything together. It’s suspenseful and unexpected ending leaves the viewer in a sense of awe and wonder as to where the story leads on from there.
The music in this film also helps aid in the suspense and excitement of this film. The same loud booming in the night is frightening yet intriguing and keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. The music is held at a good volume and never drowns out the dialogue.
This movie impressed and exceeded its expectations being released on a thursday and not into many main theatres.
It is rated R and is playing in few theatres nationwide and is available On Demand with some television providers.
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