The Double (I) (2011) User Reviews

A good film but it could have let the viewer think a bit more.

[Thrill_KillZ · 7/10 · 9 January 2012]

Richard Gere plays "Paul Shepherdson," a decorated CIA veteran who is just pulled out of retirement & teamed up with new & upcoming agent, Ben Geary (Topher Grace) to find the truth about the Russian assassin "Cassius," who Shepherdson claimed to have killed years before. The intel says he lives & is now in the US. The movie follows the duo as the real truth of the matter comes closer, and things are not always as they seem, not like we haven't heard that line before in countless intelligence genre films. It just failed to deliver surprise as very early we are bombarded with hints as to who's who. All the elements where there, great actors & production but the script wasn't as brilliant as it could have been. They could have played out an extraordinary cat & mouse game if things in the script were changed. I did enjoy watching this and I give a 7/10 generously as I'm a fan of both Grace & Gere.

Also I would recommend a watch at least on the web, cause the ad campaign failed so horribly in marketing the film, maybe they could at least go VOD or STV cause it really deserves more.

twisty

[antoniotierno · 7/10 · 21 March 2012]

"The Double," is a taut spy-thriller with echoes of the Cold War and "The Day of the Jackal." It's not easy to speak about the plot without pooping the film's surprises but let's just say that everything's different from what it appears and no one is who he seems to be (that's where the film's title comes from). I've read reviews describing the film as confusing and too complicated but in my opinion these comments are ungenerous. "The Double" shows an instantaneous reassessment of what the viewer has seen. In that sense there's a mind-twisting satisfaction in the plot. Gere is great as an entertainingly minimal actor but he's always very convincing. Here he gives weariness to a character who had seen and done too much. "The Double" is one of those dark stories where every turn seems to be a turn for the worse. To sum up it's definitely worth a look.

Flawed but decent spy flick!

[chrichtonsworld · 6/10 · 17 January 2012]

This isn't your thinking man spy movie. Here it relies more on action and some surprises.And some nice surprises I might add. It has a nice pace and it will entertain more than enough. But it could have been so much better. The most essential thing that "The Double" lacks is proper build up.One of the surprises is revealed much too quickly which for me spoiled lot of the fun too early on.It is fair to say that I did lose a little interest.Although I did suspect that the director must have a good reason to do so if he was that confident. And while there were reasons (plot wise) I still think this reveal was a bad idea.In my opinion one should always try to keep the viewer in suspense until it has served it's purpose. And in this case it only would have benefited the story more if it did.Especially with the average action scenes and lack of characterization and drama. One tip though which is something I have learned to accept. Avoid watching trailers,at least when it comes to movies that rely on suspense and twists.Long gone are the days that a trailer is made to tease and draw you to a movie without revealing anything. I don't know what it is with these people making them. But to spoil a movie before someone has watched is always a bad idea.Honestly sometimes you just have to watch a trailer to know exactly what is going to happen.What would be the point to watch the full movie? So as I understand one twist is revealed in the trailer.Which I luckily did not see. Otherwise I might have not even watched this. Overall this is a decent and entertaining production for which you have to keep expectations low on all levels in order to enjoy it.

A Cold War Themed Movie 20 Years After The End Of The Cold War

[sddavis63 · 7/10 · 3 February 2012]

This is, at times, a very confusing movie. It can be forgiven for that - because clearly it's intended to be. The opening scenes of the movie (a group of illegal immigrants apparently attempting to cross into the US from Mexico) are a bit disorienting. They don't seem to fit with what you expect the movie to be about (I even questioned briefly to myself whether the video store had accidentally packed the wrong movie into the case!) Once it gets going, though, it's compelling.

Basically, the story revolves around the search for the person who assassinated a US Senator, with the prime suspect being a Soviet agent who everyone believed had been killed years before. So - yes - it was an interesting way of bringing back a sort of Cold War theme to a movie made more than 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. There are two experts on this Russian agent known as Cassius: CIA agent Shepherdson (Richard Gere) and FBI agent Geary (Topher Grace). They get put together as a team to try to piece the puzzle together. The first twist to the story comes about a half hour through the movie, which leaves you wondering a bit what the point of the movie is, but there's a later twist that was (to me, at least) unexpected. It's pretty well done. Gere and Grace worked pretty well together. I haven't really seen much of Topher Grace since he was the star of "That 70's Show." He's matured a great deal as an actor.

There are some pretty good action scenes in this, but to its credit the movie doesn't go overboard on action. It tends to focus mostly on the relationship between Shepherdson and Geary. It's a pretty decent effort. (7/10)

Much Better Than Given Credit For

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 24 January 2012]

A retired CIA operative (Richard Gere) is paired with a young FBI agent (Topher Grace) to unravel the mystery of a senator's murder, with all signs pointing to a Soviet assassin.

On top of the great casting of the leads, you also have Martin Sheen being as dignified as ever and Odette Yustman having a smaller, but important role. All around, the casting was just spot on.

What is great about this film is that the words "action star" rarely come up when talking about Grace or Gere, but both have a high level of anger, energy and violence in this flick. I think it marks a great expansion in both of their ranges.

I saw a review that said the film should allow us to "think" more. And yes, one of the key twists is given away far too early in the film. But I think this exposition is warranted, given the bigger twist that comes up later on... and ultimately leads to a chilling ending if you think about what will happen after the credits roll (I am being vague here to not give anything away). I hear (but do not know) that the first twist was even revealed in the trailer. Okay, that was a little too early.

Ebert is surprisingly nice to this movie compared to the average viewer. He says, "Here is a movie constructed from basic parts at the Used Screenplay Store, with a character plugged in whenever one is required." But then he goes and gives the film two stars out of four -- not a terrible rating. He also says the writers had a better film when they wrote "3:10 to Yuma", and that is certainly true.

I want to give this film a second viewing... I did not understand at first about the Russians in Mexico. And now that I do, I want to see the scene again... hmmm. Looks like the film hooked me.

Good movie

[teknocrat01 · 7/10 · 31 January 2012]

for a lower budget, almost straight to DVD movie i can't really complain. I avoid a lot of straight to DVD titles, but with richard and topher on the cover at my local redbox, i thought i would give it a chance. The movie is actually put together pretty well, and looks like it could have been released in theaters fully. about 1/4 through the movie, i couldn't believe they would give the story away, but surprisingly there are a few twists that i completely did not see coming. The cast was pretty good, and the acting was not bad at all. I definitely recommend this movie if you need to kill 90 mins Story - 7.5 Acting -8 look and feel of the movie - 7.5-8 Ending - 7.5-8

there's nothing in "the double"

[rightwingisevil · 9 January 2012]

we cannot call a thriller as thriller if all the ingredients of the recipe is exposed right in front of your eyes within 5 minutes running. we cannot call a mystery a mystery if the 'whodoneit' is already so obviously shown from the early stage of a story. using often with the flash-backs to explain what happened years ago also won't help a transition of the plot but only shows the limit of a screenplay and its director. one of the worse thing is a so-called movie thriller is implementing the constant non-stop sound track to support the tension of a suppose-to-be-suspenseful movie, by the annoying endless non-stop drumming dong, dong, dong to set the tempo but in the meantime blocking the clearance of all the dialog is another stupid arrangement of this movie. no matter how you tried your best to make sudden twists later in the plot or the scenario, it's just rubbish and crap, only horror movies or brain-dead farces that claimed themselves as 'COMEDY' do not need logic. i've also found out that recently more and more lousy screenplays been proved into production (not just Hollywood) and this one in particular, is a living proof of what i'm saying here. i just don't understand why nobody in the production of this movie, including the director never pointed out the absolutely unacceptable flaws and holes of this shitty screenplay. richard gere should have used his influence to point out to the production people what would not work, what should be more logic of this screenplay, otherwise, the movie would also damage his own image. if i were him, i would not and could not perform well if the screenplay so obviously stupidly ridiculous. but maybe it explains why he could be an actor and i not.

this is a horrible movie. avoid as best as you can.

Hunting Himself

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 18 November 2013]

When a senator is murdered, CIA agent Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere) that is near retirement is summoned by his chief Tom Highland (Martin Sheen) to investigate the murder of a senator. Paul has joined CIA twenty-five years ago and has been unsuccessfully hunting down the Russian assassin Cassius 7. The senator was murdered with the same "modus operandi" of Cassius 7, but Paul insists that it is a copycat.

They go to a meeting with the FBI and Paul is introduced to the young FBI agent Ben (Topher Grace), who has prepared his Harvard thesis based on the killer. Tom asks the reluctant Paul to work with Ben to find Cassius 7 whereabouts. But the problem is Paul Shepherdson is Cassius 7 and Ben knows too much about the assassin.

"The Double" is old-fashioned thriller about Russian assassins that are unexpectedly awakened to accomplish an assignment. The idea is not original and unfortunately the identity of Cassius 7 is known since the beginning. However, the plot keeps the tension along the story until the last surprising plot point. The viewer has to pay attention to several details that are not easy to be followed. With similar theme, 1962 "The Manchurian Candidate" and "No Way Out" are better and better. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Codinome Cassius 7" ("Codiname Cassius 7")

Note: On 22 October 2016, I saw this film again.

Note: On 04 April 2021, I saw this film again.

This plot hole sums up the whole film.

[matt-lamellama · 2/10 · 17 January 2012]

"Plot holes The logic by which Agent Geary "proves" that Shepherdson (Richard Gere) is Cassius is flawed. The "proof" is that Gere is in every crime scene photo, thus proving "Cassius comes back to the crime scene". But as Gere was in fact posing as investigating CIA agent, supposedly chasing Cassius, it was not only normal, but essential for him to go to all the crime scenes of Cassius' murders. "

This film is dumb. It has the budget and the actors but it can't make up for the dumb script. The actors performances were disappointing, probably because they couldn't bring themselves to believe and immerse themselves in such a lame plot.

Distrust, Dual Identities & Deeply Conflicted Characters

[seymourblack-1 · 7/10 · 14 April 2019]

This story of distrust, dual identities and deeply conflicted characters is essentially a routine spy thriller that punches above its weight because of the presence of a couple of actors (Richard Gere and Martin Sheen) who add some gravitas to the proceedings. Its twisted plot is played out in an atmosphere that becomes increasingly sinister and surprisingly concludes in a way that, although rather grim, provides unexpected benefits for its two main protagonists.

After a U.S. Senator is mysteriously assassinated, CIA Director Tom Highland (Martin Sheen) swiftly takes charge of the investigation which he soon decides would benefit from the expertise that retired operative Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere) could provide. Paul is duly invited to a joint CIA / FBI briefing where rookie FBI Agent Ben Geary (Topher Grace) provides what he believes is strong evidence that the killing was carried out by a Soviet assassin codenamed Cassius, who'd been inactive for the last 20 years. Paul, who'd spent his entire CIA career pursuing the Russian killer, says that this theory, which was based on the method by which the Senator was killed, is nonsense because he personally killed Cassius many year earlier. Furthermore, he asserts that the assassination is far more likely to be the work of a copycat killer.

Paul becomes irritated when ex-Harvard man Ben, who had written his thesis on Cassius, claims to know absolutely everything about the Russian and by association, Paul's previous exploits when he was employed by the CIA. Despite this, Paul teams up with Ben when he's ordered to do so and the two men begin their investigation by visiting one of Cassius' team of assassins known as "The Cassius Seven" who were all given CIA code names taken from the group of Romans that killed Julius Caesar.

The brusque and badly scarred Brutus (Stephen Moyer) who'd been languishing in prison for a long time, only provides a limited amount of information but is rewarded by the investigators who give him a radio before leaving. Shortly after, Brutus swallows the radio batteries and apparently in great pain, is taken to a hospital for treatment. There, he spits out the batteries and makes a run for it. Surprisingly, when he reaches the basement of the building, he's met by Paul who confesses that he's Cassius and promptly kills Brutus by his trademark method of slitting his victim's throat by using a thin wire that neatly uncoils from his wristwatch. A revelation of this magnitude, made so early in the movie, seems to remove the likelihood of any real mystery from the remainder of the story but what happens between Ben and Paul in the action that follows, promotes increasing levels of distrust on both sides that lead to even bigger surprises and a violent conclusion that's both ironic and mildly amusing.

"The Double" is well-paced and features some entertaining action but lacks the on-going kind of tension that's normally associated with espionage thrillers. More interesting is the dynamic between the world-weary Paul who has considerably more respect for empirical knowledge rather than the kind that's acquired by academic endeavour and Ben, who like Paul, is deeply conflicted because he's driven by his instincts to take one course of action but for important personal reasons feels that he can't.

Richard Gere's portrayal of Cassius is impressive because of the very subtle ways in which he conveys every aspect of his complex character's feelings and motivations as he almost singlehandedly makes this movie considerably better than it would otherwise have been.

Slow, clichéd, predictable, poorly executed

[roger-foss · 3/10 · 20 January 2012]

Boy, how Richard Gere's career has dived since the days of American Gigolo and Internal Affairs. Yes, occasionally he shows up in a fairly good movie like Hachiko or Unfaithful, but then the superior performances are from other actors (Diane Lane, in that particular case).

This movie really shows the one-dimensional acting Gere does when given a poorly written script. Why he even bothers is mystifying.

Anyway, the movie is about Paul Sheperdson, a retired CIA agent played by Richard Gere, that once hunted down and killed 6 assassins of a group of 7. This was back in the 80s. He never got the last guy, and suddenly chose to retire.

Now 20 years later, he's asked to help track down the one who got away by working with a rookie FBI agent.

**Minor Spoiler alert** Early on, the film dispenses with mystery by revealing that Gere the retired CIA agent really is the escaped assassin himself. With that out of the way, the rest of the movie is about the rookie FBI agent getting closer and closer to finding out who the assassin is, and about Gere the assassin / CIA agent killing a few people here and there. **End Spoiler**

Of course, there is another twist towards the end. I won't say, but it feels contrived. Besides, by the time it comes you've long given up connecting to the characters, so who cares?

Problems: The major problems with this movie are: the script is poor, with gaping holes and poorly developed characters. There is absolutely no chance in hell you will ever care for any of the characters. The story is dull - you've seen it a thousand times before, and sometimes a thousand times better. The ex-spy / assassin theme doesn't resonate with anything on anybody's mind in our world, so nobody cares what happens in the movie at any point.

Direction: The film contains a few flashbacks to the 80s, where we get to see Richard Gere play Paul Sheperdson as a young agent. Except they FORGOT to make him look younger! For sure, Gere the actor looks incredible for his age (63, he's born in 1949) with his gray, full hair. But you wouldn't expect the CIA operative he plays to have the same hair color 20 years ago, would you?

The action sequences are not very exciting. Gere wielding his The acting is very bad. Topher Grace as the (supposedly brilliant) rookie FBI Agent is seriously miscast, while Richard Gere needs to ditch the action genre. Martin Sheen is there, and does an OK job I guess. No other characters will make any impression on you.

Conclusion: It doesn't suck completely, it just isn't worth your while and there are more exciting things to do.

Bizarre negative reviews

[ger55champ · 9/10 · 15 March 2022]

What are people watching .This one is well made ,good acting with fab storyline .And Gere is once again super convincing in this tense thriller.

You will be hooked right up to the end of this one .

Good entertainment for the average action movie lover

[agacyb · 6/10 · 3 December 2011]

Typical action movie lovers will find this film very satisfying. It's got attractive lead characters, guns, car chases, lots of cold-blooded murder and a supposedly world-class villain with a twist.

The truth is, it's not really my cup of tea -- I look for more emotional drama or educational/meaningful content ideally -- but my three action-loving companions all gave this one thumbs-up, and that's all the average action-lover will need to know.

Having said that, the screenplay gives the impression of a plot that could have been executed with more depth but for the time considerations of a movie, which force producers to gloss over too many interesting issues. Thus the whole production became superficial, with Richard Gere delivering a disappointing performance. I didn't feel the depth of the character that would have raised Gere's performance to a level I think we always hope for from him but never really get. In addition, Topher Grace and Odette Annable are the too-perfect, too-pretty, 2-dimensional couple that are a bit hard to swallow.

Although there were a couple of interesting twists in the plot, they weren't developed enough to raise the level of this film to a must-see, and pretty much every other part of the screenplay was as superficial as your run-of-the-mill action movie.

A Very Disappointing Movie

[Ed-Shullivan · 3/10 · 26 August 2013]

I do enjoy a good action film with a CIA plot, however this film was filled with far too many disappointing performances. Most noticeably was the irritating musical score which I am sure was intended to keep us in suspense. Rather than keep me in suspense, I found the music's constant rise in volume the movies failed attempt to try and keep the audiences' interest from waning. Unfortunately it didn't work.

I am a big fan of Richard Gere's body of work and again I was very disappointed in his performance. "Richard, what were you thinking?"

Now let's talk about the plot. There is a Russian assassin known to the CIA by the name "Cassius". Two CIA agents the retired Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere) who is un-retired by his former boss Tom Highland, (Martin Sheen), and a rookie CIA agent who has never been in the field Ben Geary (Topher Grace). Cassius is suspected to be dead, but when a U.S. senator is murdered the CIA believes the murder was committed by the phantom Russian assassin Cassius as evidenced by his trademark murder style of slashing the neck.

Ben Geary the rookie CIA agent wrote his thesis on Cassius and explains to his veteran partner Shepherdson that he knows everything there is to know about Cassius and the murder trademark of the senator's slashed throat is the work of Cassius, thus the two agents are assigned to find Cassius and eliminate him. Well.... this sounds like a reasonable plot to work with and one would think the next 90 minutes of action and suspense should be interesting. Unfortunately, not.

I watched the movie with Mrs. Shullivan and we both kept looking at each other and questioning the sequence of events and the plausibility of a veteran CIA agent as Shepherdson (Gere) being such a terrible shot with a gun that he cannot shoot to kill a Russian spy who is only 15 to 20 feet in front of him. Also, for a rookie CIA agent Geary (Topher Grace) who wrote his thesis on the Russian spy Cassius, and is supposedly a genius on Cassius's Modus Operandi why he couldn't spot his new partner Shepherdson, in historical pictures of previous murder scenes in not one, not two, not three. but NUMEROUS murder scenes that the CIA investigated previously but were unsolved? Please!!!!

It is just one of those movies that you expect the story line and actors to be a lot more believable, and the musical score not to be the driver trying to entice a sense of urgency and endangerment.

This is not a movie with any value and I would compare it to the feeling you get with buying a knock off product of a name brand product. You get what you pay for, and I am sure Topher Grace's salary in his next feature film will be commensurate with his (lack of) box office draw for The Double. Save your money folks.

a decorated CIA veteran is threatened with professional embarrassment

[bowlin_babe269 · 27 October 2011]

The new spy thriller The Double from writer/director Michael Brandt starring Golden Globe Winner Richard Gere and Topher Grace, shows massive potential before ultimately failing to excite the audience as its predictable twists and turns create a flat line of a thrills and spills.

Richard Gere plays "Paul Shepherdson," a decorated CIA veteran who is threatened with professional embarrassment after a young hot shot FBI agent, Ben Geary (Topher Grace) insists the Russian assassin "Cassius," who Shepherdson claimed to have killed years before is still alive. Paul, who spent his career chasing Cassius, is forced to take on the same case after a US senator is murdered bearing the same trademark of Cassius. Agent Geary, who wrote his thesis on Shepherdson's pursuit of Cassius, re-opens the case and the two team up to investigate the whereabouts of the deadly assassin before realizing that everything may not be what it seems.

If you have seen the trailer to this film, many secrets are revealed in its short sequences, everything is also given away in the first 15 minutes of the film. Given that the identity of Cassius is one of the films big twists, it leaves little room to thrill the audience as Geary pores over case files and Shepherdson warns Geary's family of the consequence of getting too close to a ruthless assassin. When another twist in the film comes (one that is also predictable) the viewer is left wondering why they didn't walk out of the theater after the first fifteen minutes.

Writing partners Derek Haas and Michael Brandt have successfully brought thrill to the screen previously in 3:10 to Yuma and Wanted, however, the screenplay follows the basic formula of a typical thriller. Where there should be thrills and chills, there's just predictable plot turns. While the film is quite a bore, the story comes around full circle answering every question the audience may or may not have had about every character and situation we observe.

It's surprising to see Richard Gere starring in The Double because of the seemingly and blatantly obvious mediocre script. During the film he seems bored and disengaged which doesn't help with the chemistry between him and Grace. Grace, trying extremely hard to be dramatic, is quite ineffective. All that is seen is his character Eric Foreman from 'That 70s Show," screeching with his high pitch voice and failing to deliver on nearly every note. Grace's impeccable comedic timing and engaging dramatic side that has been seen before in his other works are wasted. Grace is without a doubt a decent actor, however, his obvious miscast as a big shot FBI agent never connects.

The only performance worth mentioning is Stephen Moyer, better known for his performance as "Bill" on HBO's "True Blood," is a pro at playing the villain but when his character was just getting interesting, he's gone (Not a spoiler, just watch the trailer).

The Double is an unexciting mess of a thriller that does nothing more than produce a uneven script and bring two talented actors to deliver one of their least impressive performances to date. Unfortunate.

Anna Belickis www.awardscircuit.com

A very fast moving and entertaining thriller that will keep you guessing all the way until the last frame. Watch it. I say B+

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 27 January 2012]

"It's not Cassius...because he's dead." After a senator is murdered all clues point to a former Soviet assassin that CIA agent Paul Shepherdson (Gere) has killed. When he is brought out of retirement and teamed with a young FBI agent Ben Geary (Grace) they must work together to solve the mystery and stop him before he kills again. I should start by saying that this is the type of movie I really like. Murder mysteries that involve the FBI, CIA and politics. I was looking forward to watching this for a while and I was not disappointed at all. There were enough twists in it to keep you guessing and by the end you aren't sure what to think anymore, just like a good movie should leave you. Besides the obvious all-star cast in this the movie is very well written and is very entertaining and fun to watch. Movies that keep you guessing are usually always that way though. I recommend this. Overall, a movie that does not disappoint at all and is very much worth watching. I give it an B+.

Dubious title; it's a mystery you think you've solved early but

[JohnRayPeterson · 7/10 · 2 February 2012]

With Michael Brandt's first directed movie, it was sort of expected that it would be of a script he wrote or co-wrote; he has experience in that department as well as in editing. Many reviewers point to what appears to be a flaw, namely that we can all guess who the mysterious Soviet assassin 'Casius' is: Gere. The idea of Richard Gere being a bad guy was suspicious to me. Indeed the plot is not about who Casius is, but something deeper. To say what that is exactly would be to spoil the story more than I already have.

Suffice it to say that there are a few surprises, at least two noteworthy ones. So despite what you have read in other reviews or from some critics, Brandt did not give away the story too soon; poor analysis and mediocre critic review will unfortunately leave you with the wrong impression. I do agree with those who saw good casting in Richard Gere, Topher Grace and Martin Sheen, not to mention the ravishing Odette Yutsman Annable. I have finally figured what it is about Gere I don't like but will save that for a future review; what does keep me going back to the cinema or the video store for his movies has always been his choice of script (he can pick 'em). As for Grace, you have to admit he has a lousy agent when you review the parts he's had, except the one in 'Traffic'. Here's an actor who has had plenty of experience on the small screen (TV) and who obviously has talent, but can't get good parts; hopefully 'The Double' will help change that. With any luck, Gere will have imparted some of his experience with picking scripts and agent to Grace; Sean Connery did a similar favour for Michael Caine during the filming of 'The Man Who Would Be King' (according to Michael Caine), in that he told him his secret to negotiating more lucrative movie contracts.

Okay Thriller...

[lathe-of-heaven · 6/10 · 29 October 2012]

I did enjoy the film all right. I didn't hafta change my pants or anything, but it was put together fairly competently. I can't quite specify what it was, but I just felt that something was missing from this movie. Technically and overall acting wise it was fine I guess. I suppose it must've been just the basic development of the story; it's one of those films where afterward if you truly think about it a little, and I DO mean 'a little', you kinda wonder how people knew things and why the characters did what they did and what the HELL were the main motivations anyway...

I don't mean that this is one of those films where they seem GREAT at the time and then afterward you maybe see plot holes or questionable logic, but you say 'Hey, that was still a great film!' No, not quite... This one is a couple of notches below that. You CAN enjoy it okay, but to me anyway, a lot of it does not really flow logically.

There IS one thing though which is TOTALLY B*tch'n, and that is the song that plays over the closing credits, which grabbed me by the nuts mercilessly (which is not NECESSARILY a bad thing...) and I said to myself 'WHO THE HELL IS THAT?!!!' Well, I patiently waited until the end of the credits, when they usually get to the songs, and this one was written and played by none other than RUSH's Alex Lifeson! (sp?) DAMN good song! Doesn't sound like RUSH, but REALLY put together well and is totally awesome! Sort of like how John Paul Jones solo album doesn't really sound like LED ZEPPELIN, but it hits you as VERY strong : ) So, yeah, a passable movie that you probably won't regret taking the time to see. But, definitely NOT among the upper echelons of this kind of film... Probably one of the rare times where IMDb's rating has it about right (6)

Interesting and Well-Acted, but Falls Short

[Bob_the_Hobo · 6/10 · 5 February 2012]

After years of exile, a mysterious Russian assassin named Cassius returns to murder a U.S. Senator involved in Russian affairs. Retired CIA Agent Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere) is recruited back into the Agency to investigate. Of course this surly, dour cop is forced to work with young, smart, inexperienced FBI agent Ben Geary (Topher Grace). Both eventually look past their differences to find the killer and answer the question: Who is Cassius?

If you watch the trailer, you'll see the "twist", which defeats the purpose of having the twist in the film in the first place. Regardless, the twist manages to work itself out nicely upon implementation.

"The Double" is a relatively small-budget film with a duo of big name stars. Richard Gere remains one of the most unappreciated stars in Hollywood (not even being NOMINATED for Chicago? Oh please.) Gere here plays a tough old CIA agent, a role I'd imagine he's played before, and I imagine he will play again. Topher Grace plays the same role he usually plays in his action movies; unexperienced youngun who knows more than he lets on. The gorgeous Odette Yustman plays Grace's tough wife, and Tamar Hassan plays one of the badguys. He has a stock Russian badguy name and speaks in monosyllables.

Script-wise, the film is lacking. The characters are a series of clichés that contribute what you expect to happen next, not what you hope will happen next. More often than not, I shook my head at the imprisoned villain with the scars all over, and the disbelieving, disapproving heads of Gere and Grace's respective jobs. The conclusion has a final twist that doesn't shock anyone.

There is a scene near the beginning of the film with Gere and Martin Sheen, who here plays the Director of the CIA. Both characters have known each other for years. Gere arrives home and is startled to see the Director say something in the darkness, then flick on a light switch and inform Gere of his mission, should he choose to accept it. These two actors are two of Hollywood's best, and here they are in a formulaic thriller, performing in a scene so well-known that they probably didn't even need to read the script. It's so slight that you might not notice, but it makes the rest of the film worth it.

"The Double" is a ploddy, formulaic piece of theatre sustained by two more than able leads and lead on by a somewhat murky script. It's an enjoyable thriller that will keep your attention, but maybe not your interest.

Ridiculous.

[tpaladino · 3/10 · 8 February 2012]

I knew in the first ten minutes that this was a bad movie, bit I tried hard to make it through the end. I was unsuccessful.

It tries to be a cool spy flick, but completely fails on nearly every level. It's just done wrong. The dialog is hackneyed and unrealistic, as are the situations that the characters are put into. I just couldn't suspend my disbelief at any point long enough to get into the story.

Topher Grace is terrible in this. He's simply not believable as an FBI agent, even one that's a snotty know-it-all with a masters degree. Richard Gere and Martin Sheen tried their best to work with the material given, but to no avail.

Shame too, because other than Topher Grace, there's a solid cast and a half-decent premise. It's completely let down however by sub-par writing and consistently poor directorial choices.

Not worth watching, even on Netflix. There are plenty of WAY more interesting films in this genre to waste time with this turkey.

Decent thriller

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 28 March 2012]

It may be flawed, but there is something here (especially if you have no idea where this is going, something I'm sure is spoiled with the trailer and the summaries) and the movie might even surprise you a little. Formerly Ms. Yustman (now married and going by the name Annable) might not have much to do, but I would be lying if I said I don't like watching her.

On another note: Richard Gere seems to phone a few things in (the director should have watched for that), but has some flashes of character ingenuity, that really work. His "partner in crime" being Topher Grace. And while he does his best, his character never really shines through. Tamar Hassan plays it straight, but some story/plot points do make up for those things.

More like a high school production

[tedgottis-357-714799 · 3/10 · 29 April 2012]

I am a Richard Gere fan and have high hopes for Topher Grace, but this film did neither of them justice.

The movie has a promising premise. Cold War Soviet spy on the move. Soon, however the staged scenarios and attempts at surprise fall so short they become comical. I had to laugh when Martin Sheen is buying coffee and is standing conspicuously to the left as if, yes, Richard Gere pops in the space on the right to a "startled" Martin Sheen. The whole movie was done the same way. You knew what was going to happen before it happened.

Without continuing to bash this film, I would ask Hollywood to give their viewers a little credit. Make the plot and sequence surprises actual surprises, not ones that are contrived and unbelievable. Remember, we want to believe.

Surprisingly, Very Good Movie.

[lynnleyda · 8/10 · 29 March 2018]

Requires patience, but is worth it. You think you know what will happen, and then you're suspicious of all of the "other" main characters, and then, after great suspense and action, you find out. Excellent if you like mystery and suspense, with action sequences a bonus.

NOT BAD!

[nikagorgiladze · 6/10 · 8 November 2018]

First off, all the performances were very good. overall not great but good!

Nothing to see here

[danthemanwow · 4/10 · 31 July 2013]

The plot of this movie has room for a decent spy thriller, but it fell short. Uninspired acting and a script not worthy of inspiration leaves the characters flat and unrelatable. The two leads spend very little time actually on screen together, and there is no chemistry when they are. At one point, some information comes to light which seems like a game changer, but it is quickly swept under the rug and ignored, as it has no impact on what happens next, while it could have been actually interesting. In the end, you won't care about the characters at all, and so anything that happens won't interest you. I advise you to look elsewhere and to not come back.