On the couch

The Double
**
Directed by: Michael Brandt
Starring: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Stephen Moyer, Odette Yustman, Stana Katic, Martin Sheen
Evoking memories of some of the more mediocre “Reds in our beds” spy dramas from the ’70s and ’80s, The Double is a solid but uninspiring thriller starring Richard Gere and Topher Grace.

Perched on the cusp of being decent, it comes across like the off-brand knock-off of some better films, like the recent Safe House or more vintage offerings like No Way Out or The Day of the Jackal. Think Sorny or Pandasonic instead of Sony and Panasonic.

Gere stars as an ex-FBI agent, Paul Shepherdson, who is called back into the G-Man fold when a politician’s murder matches one of his old cases.

It’s not any old case though. It’s the one that made Shepherdson’s career, a KGB assassin called Cassius who he never caught. Shepherson is paired up with a young whippersnapper, Ben Geary (Grace). An expert on the Cassius case with no field experience, Geary is convinced the Russian killer has resurfaced, much to the irritation of his older, grumpier partner.

Matters swiftly take a turn for the sinister when the pair question one of Cassius’ disciples in jail (a brief appearance from a beefy-looking and fangless, for once, Stephen Moyer) and it becomes clear that this might not be a simple case of ‘whodunnit?’

The Double’s biggest problem is that all its best plot ideas have been done before and better and there’s very little else to keep you interested otherwise.

It’s not like you can say, “It sucks but the action scenes are great,” or, “It’s terrible but you’ll laugh at how lousy it is.” It’s all just a bit… Meh. Not bad. Just not very interesting.

What high points the film does have come from Gere and Grace, who showcase their talents and beg the question – why aren’t they used more and in better projects?

Other than Chicago, Gere hasn’t been in many big films of late, his star quality has long been established and he can always be relied on.

Grace, however, is still under-appreciated for his ability to portray young, naive and desperate with conviction.

Chock full of untried vigour and proud family man to boot, he plays off the bitter, humourless Gere well without it ever coming across like a tacky Odd Couple cop flick like Hollywood Homicide or Red Heat.

Despite receiving good write-ups for his role in In Good Company, where he also played the foil to an older leading man, Dennis Quaid, there’s a good chance that his best years are ahead of him once he grows out of his baby face.

Career forecasting notwithstanding, it’s difficult to say too much about The Double partly because it doesn’t make much of an impact as a film and partly because of its “twists”. A good twist should, ideally, come completely out of the blue and, if you’re really lucky, turn your appreciation of a film on its head (for the better Red Lights…).

The Double, however, blows its big surprise in the trailer and even if you managed to avoid it, it’s telegraphed almost from the opening credits.

Competant in the extreme but with little to stir the blood, The Double won’t offend audience’s sensibilities but ends up being the cinematic equivalent of popcorn – eminently forgettable and slightly annoying.