Enemy movie review - Aussieboyreviews
JUST HOW MIND-BENDING DOES THE PLOT GET IN ENEMY?
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this weirdly intriguing and beautifully-shot art mystery film with that’s ultimately just confusing, random and boring. A complex situation arrives when an ordinary man attempts to seek out his exact look-alike.
Storyline
When Adam spots his exact look-alike in a movie he watches, he is provoked to track down and meet his doppelgänger in real life, which only leads to a complicated situation.
Movie Images
Movie details
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini, Joshua Peace
Writer: Javier Gullón
Release Date (Australia): 9 July 2014
Runtime: 91 minutes/1h 31m
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, Spain, France
Language: English
CONTENT GUIDE (warning: May contain spoilers)
Thematic content includes mental health and a scene depicting a car crash.
The film includes a brief scuffle between two characters.
The film includes multiple uses of the words “f**k” and “s**t”.
None.
The film contains several scenes of breasts, buttocks and very brief frontal female nudity.
The film contains sexual references including sexualised use of the word “f**k”, as well as several strong sex scenes that feature graphic nudity and thrusting detail.
mpaa rating
R (for some strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language)
Aussie boy's thoughts
This is a weird story of obsession and declining mental health that’s weirdly intriguing, with brilliant cinematography, top-notch performances and a concept that’s plausible and original. If only we actually gave a fuck though. Enemy is directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Jake Gyllenhaal. Despite clear talent in front of and behind the camera, as well as many opportunities to interpret things differently, it just comes off as pretentious twaddle.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays and ordinary college professor who spots his exact look-alike in a movie, provoking him to meet his doppelgänger in real life, which leads to a complicated situation. With two look-alike characters who are being played by the same actor, Enemy falls guilty to being extremely confusing if you aren’t devoting your full attention. Even their partners, both played by blonde actresses, are difficult to use as a method of telling the two apart. It’ll make you ask questions like; is it a Fight Club kind of movie? Is there a big twist or reveal awaiting us? Will the ending make up for it all? Well… no.
It’s very difficult to remain fully focused when the film’s pacing is very slow, often in a boring way, and there’s many extended sequences of silence. Although nothing like a silent film, there’s a few conversations every once in a while, but we’re mainly left with Gyllenhaal as he’s walking around, researching or in a state of reasonable confusion. He’s an extremely talented actor who has given some truly exceptional performances, and while he’s completely convincing as his character here, your interest will become detached before too long after the intriguing first act.
The cinematography is reminding of David Fincher’s movies; the camera angles, slow camera movements, and the colour tone bring a completely new sense of atmosphere to the film. But the truth is that it’s a boring, convoluted and smug mess that you just want to witness the “grand finale” of and be done with. It doesn’t invest you like movies such as Prisoners and Zodiac, both of which are an hour longer and are still paced better.
Thank you for reading this page and for more Aussie Boy reviews, visit Aussieboyreviews.com.