The Double (2011)

Let's be realistic.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I guessed the plot before they even gave the hints. This is almost a good movie - the acting talent just about saves it.It was an OK performance direction-wise but watching it was like listening to a competent amateur pianist plod through a Chopin piece. It was just bland, and lacking in artistry or sophistication.

"The Double" boasts an interesting premise: Cassius, the greatest assassin in the world (Richard Gere), trains a gang of Russian assassins. He then joins the CIA as a double agent, where he secretly works for the Soviet Union, hunts the assassins he trained and then pretends to hunt for himself. After Cassius' retirement from the CIA, a young FBI agent (Topher Grace) resumes attempts to apprehend Cassius. To assist him on his quest, he teams up with none other than Cassius himself.This is an interesting angle for a cat-and-mouse procedural. The drama is derived not from finding the villain, but from the villain finding ways to trick the "good guys" into finding a different villain. Late in its final act, the film then delivers another neat twist: the FBI agent tracking Cassius is himself a Russian double agent.But despite its interesting premise, "The Double" is mostly inept, shallow and has little to say about the workings of Eastern and Western, neo-Imperialistic spy agencies. Director Michael Brandt's script wastes a good idea, utilizes unnecessary flashbacks and his picture as a whole lacks drama, movement and is far too often hokey and over-the-top. Topher Grace works well as an archetypal rookie.5/10 – See "Demonlover".

One of the major problems with 'The Double' is the trailer advertising it. If you've seen it, it tells you most of the story (and one of the twists). However, I only found that out by reading the internet forums about this movie. I suppose I fortunate enough not to see the trailer, hence I quite enjoyed finding out what was happening as it went along.It's nothing too revolutionary - old dog spy (Gere) paired with up and coming spy (Grace) - it's effectively a mismatch/buddy-cop film but with spies. It flits between action and talking, with a few surprises thrown into the mix. Plus it isn't too long, so it fits everything in and quite nicely.But, although it's a decent watch, it probably could have been better. It gives away one of the surprises too early, which may lead some to lose interest. However, at least there are a few more twists to come which I'm guessing the writer hoped would make up for it.In short, it's not bad, but not a classic. Plus, avoid watching its trailer at all costs. Long gone are the days when a trailer is made to tease and draw you to a movie without revealing anything. I decided to watch the trailer AFTER I'd seen the film and I can see what people meant about it. I really don't know what the film-makers were doing with the trailer - it's effectively a ninety minute film condensed into a couple of minutes.Overall this is a decent and entertaining production for which you have to keep expectations low on all levels in order to enjoy it.

So a tanned Harvard geek obsesses about Cassius - A psycho from the nineties who was paid to kill by the Russian government.Mr Harvard exclaims passionately "Why did Cassius use cheese wire to kill, I want to get to know him, I want to know what makes him tick". BLUNDER ONE: Assassins do it as a job, they get paid well and it doesn't bother them enough to quit. Simples.Within moments of Richard Gere (The 'Double') persuading his Harvard, FBI colleague to give an imprisoned ex Russian assassin a huge radio that only plays Russian music, the Russian nearly faints in joy at the gift, however the moment he's alone the Russian swallows the batteries from the radio, starts vomiting blood, gets taken to hospital, vomits the batteries up, then attacks two coppers, taking one of their copper guns, runs out of the hospital only to get his throat cut in the style of Cassius.BLUNDER YUCKY DUCKY VERY F***Y: All that happens, and Mr Harvard doesn't think through how suspicious that makes Richard Gere look. This Russian in prison has been in solitary for a decade, with not even a radio to listen to, because he's so dangerous... but an FBI agent can hand over a radio the size of a brick.... and not even the guards think to take it off him.....Fuzz Buckets!