Wonderful Movie

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Jonathan McQuarry is an accountant whose job is to go into large firms and audit their accounts. It isn't the sort of job that helps one make friends; half the people at the companies he audits are worried he'll spot a mistake they made the others don't see the point of befriending somebody who'll soon be gone. For this reason Jonathan is happy when lawyer Wyatt Bose introduces himself; they smoke a joint together, play a bit of tennis then Wyatt has to go away for a little while. Soon after it becomes apparent that after their last meeting they each picked up the other's phone. It turns out that Wyatt is part of a club known as 'The List'; members of which can call a fellow member for anonymous sex… Wyatt is happy for Jonathan to use it while he is away. He enjoys himself till one day the person who calls him is a beautiful woman he spoke to briefly on the subway a month previously. They have a second date but it goes wrong; she disappears and he is knocked out… it isn't long before he learns that Wyatt isn't the friend he though; he is told that if he is to see the girl alive again he must transfer millions of dollars out of the accounts of the next firm he audits.This is a solid little neo-noir thriller that takes its time introducing the characters before revealing what the story is really about. Watching with absolutely no prior knowledge the first half gives no real hints about what is going to happen… although the title should make one realise that at least one character isn't quite what they seem. Once bad things do start to happen the main twists aren't too surprising but are still effective. Ewan McGregor is solid as Jonathon, an everyman sort of character caught up in what seems like a dream but what turns into a nightmare; Hugh Jackman impresses as the charismatic 'Wyatt' and Michelle Williams is good as the woman known only as 'S' who Jonathon understandably falls for. Overall I rather enjoyed this; it isn't a must see but is worth watching if it is on TV or if you see the DVD in a charity shop.

The Ultra-Slick and Sexy Noirish Cinematography and Slightly Engaging Performances from the Three Handsome-Cute-Sultry Actors, Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams, make this a Tolerable if Ultimately Flat Erotic Thriller.The Director comes from the World of TV Commercials and His First Feature is about as Deep. The Movie Suffers Irretrievably from its Length, Predictability, and Overall Narrow Mindedness. For Example, the Sex-Scenes are Numerous with a Numbingly Bland Template of Familiar Lingerie Shots and Artsy attempts at being Attractive, but are Generic.Overall, Worth a Watch for Fans of the Stars and those that Gravitate toward the Neo-Noir. Not Awful but Undoubtedly Disappointing because it Lacks Edge and Borderlines on being Dull in between the Good Parts. There are a Few but not enough to Elevate and the Result is an Average Go at the Genre.

Although this is advertised as an "erotic thriller" there is nothing thrilling about it and most certainly it isn't erotic.The title should be different. By calling your movie "Deception" you make the audience doubt just about anything from the beginning. The "good" friend obviously has a hidden agenda. The "dead" can't really be dead and so on.It's about an elaborate scam towards an accountant of a big corporation. An anonymous sex club that dominates the beginning of the film, wasn't necessary at all for the scam, and this is a serious indication that the movie is pretentious and just tries to incorporate elements so to become more intriguing.The same goes for the ridiculous twists, one after the other near the end. Twists so to speak, because you can see them coming a mile away.Lots of well known actors in this and they give adequate performances but there are so many flaws plotwise that you can't really take this movie seriously, especially the last 15 minutes or so.The direction doesn't work well either nor the music which sets the tone of the film."Are you free tonight?" is the code line for the secret sex network. Well, I was free, but then I decided to saw this lame movie.

I loved the footage and overall mood of this movie. Michelle Williams is hot as "S" - not a perfect face but very sexy nevertheless. I hope I don't sound too sexist, but she really had something.The plot kept my interest most of the time. I didn't find it as predictable as many other comments suggest.*Spoiler*Some examples: I didn't expect "S" to fall in love with McGuire. I didn't expect him to require double signatures to take out the money. I didn't expect him to leave 20 million USD behind when he could have taken it and walked away. What I did expect, once I knew "S" part of everything, was that McGuire would get the money and the girl - that didn't happen.*End of spoiler*As a thriller, it's about average, but the footage and overall mood lifts it to a higher score, at least in my opinion. (For some reason I, several times, associated it with the computer game Deus EX: Human Evolution).I watched this on TV, and I found it much more exciting and interesting than most of the stuff that is being broad casted today.