The difference between ”Star Wars” alumni Harrison Ford and Ewan McGregor is the fact that Ford went on to make decent films after cutting off his trademark Han Solo mullet and leaving Chewbacca on the Millennium Falcon. As for McGregor, he was not so lucky. His films such as ”The Island,” ”Stay,” and ”Miss Potter” all equally left a bitter taste in my mouth. Unfortunately, ”Deception” did the same thing after I watched it. ”Deception” tries too hard to be an erotic thriller, but fails on both parts.
In the film, McGregor stars as the dweebish accountant Jonathan McQuarry. Within the opening credits of the film, we find Jonathan working late night at a firm performing an audit. While he is working there, he meets the suave and charismatic Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman). Instantly, the pair enters a budding relationship where they are drinking martinis, playing tennis, and dishing dirt about women together. During one of their outings, Wyatt informs Jonathan that he will be going out of town on business and promises that the two will have more fun together when he returns. Prior to Wyatt departing, both men accidentally switch cellphones, and this is where this so-called erotic thriller begins.
Even though Jonathan is quick to notify Wyatt that he has his cellphone and vice versa, he begins to receive strange phone calls from mysterious women. It is revealed that these women belong to a sex club called ‘’the List.’’ Reluctantly, the virginal Jonathan uses the opportunity to explore his sexual fantasies. Viewers literally get 15 minutes of footage showing Jonathan having one-night stands with various women. It’s pretty amusing seeing McGregor onscreen attempting to be a smooth womanizer, but that is probably the point, right?
”Deception” is basically a retread of Stanley Kubrick’s ”Eyes Wide Shut” to a certain degree, but worse. The film had a twist that any viewer can see coming a mile away. I think McGregor is a fine actor, but he seems miscast as the nerdy Jonathan. Despite being one of the stars of the film, Jackman is barely in it. His Wyatt character is pretty one-dimensional and lacks any real sense of menace. Oh dear, I cannot believe that Michelle Williams made this film. After giving a great performance in ”Brokeback Mountain,” I expected her to start choosing better roles for herself. Even though her role is very small in the film, she basically does nothing amazing with her character. ”Deception” deceives itself as a film thinking it’s adding something new to the erotic thriller genre when it’s actually not.
Film Grade: D-
Popularity: 24% [?]
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