The movie is aptly titled given that things are never quite what they seem. And like the two central characters – played with aplomb by Clive Owen and Julia Roberts – the audience is constantly kept on its feet in a world of double-crosses.

As good as Clayton? Nah. Better than Transformers 2? Does the Pope like biscuits?

Everybody does…

In a nutshell Gilroy shifts the action from the seedy legal underbelly of Michael Clayton to the slimy world of corporate espionage.

But unlike the ruthless depiction of America’s legal elite in Clayton, Gilroy adopts a more playful approach with Duplicity.

Sure, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture of corporate America, but Duplicity throws out more one-liners than a cracked-up Scrabble player.

Roberts and Owen revel in their roles as corporate operatives who join forces to pull off the biggest heist of their careers. Tension ensues as the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse descends into one double cross after another.

And the slick dialogue – which at times resembles verbal tennis – meshes well with a plot full of twists and turns.

Looks and brains…?

Duplicity opens with a gloriously unusual slow motion fight between corporate tycoons Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson. Stylistically it bears no resemblence to the slick cinematography that follows. But as a set piece I found this daringly unusual intro genuinely funny.

The 24-esque split screen interludes were less appealing but nonetheless served to underscore the movie’s spy-like credentials.

At a running time of 125 minutes, Duplicity loses some of its sizzle in the third act as the intricate plot unravels, but the anticlimactic pay-off is worth it. At least, I thought so.

I’m a big fan of film noir and would cite classics such as The Big Sleep and Chinatown among my all time favourites.

And while Duplicity fails to reach the creative heights of such masterpieces, it oozes dialogue capable of rivalling landmark films.

Sleek, sexy, and smart…. and I’m not just talking about Julia Roberts.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars – available on Blu-ray and DVD