THE DOUBLE is another PG-13 political thriller, not dissimilar to the likes of the Michael Douglas flick THE SENTINEL. These films all seem to have a bland, samey look to them, clearly indebted to the Bourne films of yesterday but lacking the hard edge and finesse that made that trilogy such classics.
The plot is as predictable as they come, teaming up silver fox Richard Gere with a young and bland newcomer, Topher Grace. The two are on the hunt for an international assassin, but there's a major twist along the way which makes things pretty interesting. Sadly, the film is never as exciting as it should be, even though there's a pretty cool car chase through into the mix.
It's also ridiculously non-violent and the kind of film that teaches kids that garroting people is a bloodless act - ridiculous. I've never thought that violence in films is influential, but I actually find it quite offensive when it's glamorised in a bloodless way like here. Violence should be ugly, harsh, and realistic, not superficial. The cast, including Martin Sheen and Tamer Hassan in support, all appear to be going through the motions, leaving this a distinctly average effort.
The plot is as predictable as they come, teaming up silver fox Richard Gere with a young and bland newcomer, Topher Grace. The two are on the hunt for an international assassin, but there's a major twist along the way which makes things pretty interesting. Sadly, the film is never as exciting as it should be, even though there's a pretty cool car chase through into the mix.
It's also ridiculously non-violent and the kind of film that teaches kids that garroting people is a bloodless act - ridiculous. I've never thought that violence in films is influential, but I actually find it quite offensive when it's glamorised in a bloodless way like here. Violence should be ugly, harsh, and realistic, not superficial. The cast, including Martin Sheen and Tamer Hassan in support, all appear to be going through the motions, leaving this a distinctly average effort.