Deception (2008 film)

Last updated
Deception
Deception08poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Marcel Langenegger
Written by Mark Bomback
Produced byRobbie Brenner
David Bushell
Christopher Eberts
Hugh Jackman
John Palermo
Arnold Rifkin
StarringHugh Jackman
Ewan McGregor
Michelle Williams
Cinematography Dante Spinotti
Edited by Douglas Crise
Christian Wagner
Music by Ramin Djawadi
Production
companies
Distributed by 20th Century Fox [1] (United States, Australia and New Zealand)
Summit Entertainment (International) [1]
Release date
  • April 25, 2008 (2008-04-25)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[ citation needed ]
Box office$17 million [2]

Deception is a 2008 American erotic thriller film directed by Marcel Langenegger and written by Mark Bomback. It stars Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, and Michelle Williams. The film was released on April 25, 2008 in the United States.

Contents

Plot

Timid Jonathan McQuarry is an accountant in Manhattan. Late one night, while working on an audit at a law firm, he is befriended by a charismatic lawyer, Wyatt Bose. Taking the subway home, Jonathan has a brief encounter with a blonde woman. Reaching home, he notices a pipe in his bedroom is leaking and leaving a stain.

Jonathan and Wyatt become good friends. Wyatt has business in London for the next few weeks, but accidentally switches cell phones with Jonathan. Jonathan receives a call on Wyatt's phone, from a woman who asks if he is free that night. He agrees to meet her at a hotel bar. When she arrives, they proceed directly to a hotel room and have sex. In the morning, Jonathan realizes that Wyatt must be in an exclusive sex club.

When Wyatt calls the next day, he encourages Jonathan to continue in the club. One encounter is with an older woman, who explains the rules: the initiator pays for the room, no names are exchanged, there is no rough play. Over the next few weeks, he has anonymous sex with several women.

Jonathan is surprised one evening to find that his latest encounter is the blonde woman from the subway. Instead of having sex, they order room service and talk for hours. Jonathan assumes that her name begins with an "S" because of her S-shaped keychain.

Jonathan rejects other callers, responding only when he gets a new call from "S". They again spend hours together before going to a hotel room. Jonathan returns from getting ice to find that “S” is missing, with blood on the bedsheets. Someone knocks him out, and when he wakes up, the room is in order. He calls the police, but his story makes the detective think that he is delusional. Jonathan looks for Wyatt, but his law firm does not know him and a woman is living in what Jonathan thought was Wyatt's apartment.

Jonathan is surprised to find Wyatt waiting in his apartment. Wyatt is holding "S" somewhere, and will kill her unless Jonathan steals $20 million from an investment firm he will be auditing. He must wire the funds, in Jonathan’s name, to a bank in Spain.

Jonathan receives a voice mail on Wyatt's phone from Tina, who seems to know Wyatt personally. Jonathan goes to her hotel room, where she reveals that Wyatt's real name is Jamie Getz, and that they met at a party hosted by the wealthy Rudolph Holloway. Jonathan researches Getz, learning that he is wanted for murdering Holloway.

At the audit, Jonathan executes the wire transfer. Wyatt texts a picture of "S" tied up in Jonathan's apartment, wishing them well. Arriving at his apartment, Jonathan notices that the picture was taken before the pipe started leaking. He realizes that “S” is Wyatt’s accomplice. His apartment then explodes, witnessed by Wyatt from across the street.

Wyatt, travelling on a passport in Jonathan's name, meets "S" in a hotel in Madrid. She is upset that Jonathan is dead, but he reminds her that her $1 million share is more than she ever made as a prostitute on the street. When he attempts to withdraw the funds, he learns that the co-signer, Wyatt Bose, must be present. Wyatt exits the bank to find "S" gone and Jonathan waiting the apartment superintendent died in the explosion, entering the suite before Jonathan arrived. Jonathan has procured a passport using Wyatt's name. He demands half of the $20 million.

Leaving the bank, Jonathan offers Wyatt $5 million to tell him where "S" is. Wyatt agrees, then leads Jonathan to a quiet park and pulls a gun. Before he can shoot, Wyatt is shot by "S". Jonathan pursues her, leaving a dead Wyatt and all the money behind. She apologizes to him and leaves in a cab, in tears.

Jonathan stays in Madrid. One day, he and "S" spot each other across a plaza; they exchange smiles, and he goes to her.

Alternate Ending

Wyatt and Jonathan part ways with their shares of the money. Days later, Jonathan is walking around Madrid as he continues his futile search for "S."

Cast

Production

In October 2006, it was announced Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams would star in erotic thriller, The Tourist. [3] The movie was put into turnaround by 20th Century Fox because of its racy storyline, and was financed independently. Funding was then arranged by MRC, the film financing arm of Endeavor, where Jackman was a client at the time. [3]

Reception

Critical reception

The film received substantially negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes reported that 11% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 100 reviews – with the consensus that the film is "a middling, predictable potboiler with mediocre dialogue and ludicrous plot twists." [4] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 31 out of 100, based on 23 reviews. [5] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "C−" on scale of A to F. [6]

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $2.3 million in 2,001 theaters in the United States and Canada, averaging only $1,155 per theater and ranking #10 at the box office. [7] As of September 22, 2009, the film has grossed $4,598,506 in the United States and Canada while grossing $13,114,439 in foreign countries adding to a total of $17,712,945. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>As Good as It Gets</i> 1997 film by James L. Brooks

As Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with a chronically ill son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist. The film premiered at the Regency Village Theatre on December 6, 1997, and was released theatrically in the United States on December 25, 1997, and was a critical and box office hit, grossing $314.1 million on a $50 million budget.

<i>Someone like You</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by Tony Goldwyn

Someone like You is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Tony Goldwyn, based on Laura Zigman's 1998 novel Animal Husbandry. The film stars Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman, Marisa Tomei, and Ellen Barkin, and follows a heartbroken woman looking for a reason why she was dumped.

<i>Serendipity</i> (film) 2001 romantic comedy film by Peter Chelsom

Serendipity is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Chelsom, written by Marc Klein, and starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. The film grossed $77.5 million on a $28 million budget.

<i>Eye of the Beholder</i> (film) 1999 mystery thriller film

Eye of the Beholder is a 1999 mystery thriller film that employs magical realism. The film, based on Marc Behm's novel of the same name and a remake of Claude Miller's 1983 French thriller Deadly Circuit, is directed and adapted by Stephan Elliott.

<i>Skin Deep</i> (1989 film) 1989 film by Blake Edwards

Skin Deep is a 1989 American romantic sex comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring John Ritter.

<i>Stay</i> (2005 film) 2005 film directed by Marc Forster

Stay is a 2005 American psychological thriller directed by Marc Forster and written by David Benioff. It stars Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling and Bob Hoskins, with production by Regency and distribution by 20th Century Fox. The film represents intense relationships centering on reality, love, death, suicide, and the afterlife.

<i>Failure to Launch</i> 2006 film by Tom Dey

Failure to Launch is a 2006 American romantic comedy film directed by Tom Dey, and starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. The film focuses on a 35-year-old man living with his parents who shows no interest in leaving the comfortable life that they, especially his mother, have made for him. It was released on March 10, 2006, and grossed over $128 million.

<i>Shutter</i> (2008 film) 2008 American film

Shutter is a 2008 American supernatural horror film directed by Masayuki Ochiai and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was written by Luke Dawson and is a remake on the 2004 Thai film of the same name. Its story follows newlywed couple Ben and Jane who have just moved to Japan for a promising job opportunity. After a tragic car accident that leads to the death of a young girl, Ben begins noticing strange blurs in many of his fashion shoot photographs, which Jane suspects is the spirit of the dead girl that they killed. The film stars Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, and Megumi Okina.

<i>Before the Devil Knows Youre Dead</i> 2007 film by Sidney Lumet

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a 2007 American crime thriller film directed by Sidney Lumet. The film was written by Kelly Masterson, and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, and Albert Finney. The title comes from the Irish saying: "May you be in heaven a full half-hour before the devil knows you're dead". The film unfolds in a nonlinear narrative, repeatedly going back and forth in time, with some scenes shown repeatedly from differing points of view. It was the last film directed by Lumet before his death in 2011.

<i>The Heartbreak Kid</i> (2007 film) 2007 film by the Farrelly brothers

The Heartbreak Kid is a 2007 American romantic dark comedy directed by the Farrelly brothers. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same title and stars Ben Stiller in the main role, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Åkerman, Jerry Stiller, Rob Corddry, Carlos Mencia, Scott Wilson, and Danny McBride. It tells the story of a sports shop owner who ends up in a rushed marriage with a woman and meets a true love interest during a trip to Mexico.

<i>The Informers</i> (2008 film) 2008 American film

The Informers is a 2009 American drama film written by Bret Easton Ellis and Nicholas Jarecki and directed by Gregor Jordan. The film is based on Ellis's 1994 collection of short stories of the same name. The film, which is set amidst the decadence of the early 1980s, depicts an assortment of socially alienated, mainly well-off characters who numb their sense of emptiness with casual sex, alcohol, and drugs. Filming took place in Los Angeles, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires in 2007.

<i>The Ghost Writer</i> (film) 2010 film by Roman Polanski

The Ghost Writer is a 2010 neo-noir political thriller film directed by Roman Polanski. The film is an adaptation of a 2007 Robert Harris novel, The Ghost, with the screenplay written by Polanski and Harris. It stars Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, and Olivia Williams.

<i>Hall Pass</i> 2011 film by the Farrelly brothers

Hall Pass is a 2011 American comedy film produced and directed by the Farrelly brothers and co-written by them along with Pete Jones, the writer/director of Stolen Summer. It stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis.

<i>Beginners</i> 2010 American film by Mike Mills

Beginners is a 2010 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Mills. It tells the story of a man reflecting on the life and death of his father, while trying to forge a new romantic relationship with a woman dealing with father-issues of her own. The film is based on the coming out of Mills' own father at the age of 75, five years before his death.

<i>360</i> (film) 2011 film directed by Fernando Meirelles

360 is a 2011 internationally produced drama thriller film directed by Fernando Meirelles and written by Peter Morgan as a loose adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play Reigen. The film stars an ensemble cast of Anthony Hopkins, Ben Foster, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law and other international actors. Following the stories of couples and their sexual encounters, 360 was selected to open the 2011 London Film Festival. Magnolia Pictures released the film on video on demand on 29 June 2012 and was released in United States theaters on 3 August 2012. The film reunited Weisz and director Meirelles, who worked together on The Constant Gardener.

<i>The Raven</i> (2012 film) 2012 film by James McTeigue

The Raven is a 2012 American crime thriller film directed by James McTeigue, produced by Marc D. Evans, Trevor Macy and Aaron Ryder and written by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare. Set in 1849, it is a fictionalized account detailing the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet and author helps the police pursue a serial killer, whose murders mirror those in his stories. While the plot of the film is fictional, the writers based it on some accounts of real situations surrounding Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious death. Poe is said to have repeatedly called out the name "Reynolds" on the night before his death, though it is unclear to whom he was referring. The film stars John Cusack, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson and Luke Evans. Its title derives from Poe's 1845 poem "The Raven", in a similar manner to the earlier unrelated 1935 and 1963 films.

<i>The Impossible</i> (2012 film) 2012 English-language Spanish film

The Impossible is a 2012 English-language Spanish disaster drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez. It is based on the experience of María Belón and her family in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It features an international cast including Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Holland in his film debut.

<i>Concussion</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Concussion is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Stacie Passon and starring Robin Weigert. Although not autobiographical, the story was partially inspired by Passon herself suffering a mild concussion, in the same manner depicted in the film, shortly before she began writing the screenplay.

<i>Enemy</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Denis Villeneuve

Enemy is a 2013 surrealist psychological thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve and produced by M. A. Faura and Niv Fichman. Written by Javier Gullón, it was loosely adapted from José Saramago's 2002 novel The Double. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal in a dual role as two men who are physically identical, but different in personality. Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, and Isabella Rossellini co-star. It is an international co-production of companies from Spain, France and Canada.

<i>Mortdecai</i> (film) 2015 American film

Mortdecai is a 2015 American action comedy film directed by David Koepp and written by Eric Aronson. The film is adapted from the novel series Mortdecai written by Kyril Bonfiglioli. It stars Johnny Depp in the title role and features Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany and Jeff Goldblum. Released by Lionsgate on January 23, 2015, Mortdecai was a box office flop, grossing $47.3 million against its estimated $60 million budget, and was critically panned.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Deception (2007)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on March 2, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Deception". Box Office Mojo.
  3. 1 2 "Thesps follow 'Tourist' route". Variety. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  4. "Deception". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  5. "Deception (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
  6. Joshua Rich (April 29, 2008). "Baby Mama delivers a box office win". Entertainment Weekly . its CinemaScore was a deadly C-
  7. "Deception (2008) – Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved April 29, 2008.