This movie reminds me of movies like Vantage Point and The Sentinel; they're decent thrillers focused centrally on government affairs, but they all kind of feel the same. Nothing wrong with a good crime movie but the problem is the often seem very similar, and The Double is no exception. Luckily it has enough going for it to not blend into the crowd too much.
For the most part, everything is a cut above average. The acting, while fairly standard, is far from bad, and Topher Grace does sell the FBI Agent role impressively well. And as always, Richard Gere is good but not great. The movie is also shot rather well too; the direction by Michael Brandt is pretty impressive and there are a few action scenes that are exhilarating in a simple, yet classic way. I also noticed that it's pretty much a CGI-less film, which is somehow impressive in this day and age.
The plot is where the movie falters a little bit. It's a pretty standard story, sort of feeling like an episode of 24 stretched out to an hour and a half (but sadly missing the powerful performance of Kiefer Sutherland) but luckily there are a few twists to keep things interesting. The first one is telegraphed and even revealed pretty early on, but later ones are genuinely pretty well-implemented. It's paced pretty well, and never really dips into being dull, despite the somewhat generic plot. Overall, this isn't a great movie. The Departed this is not. But it's a fairly impressive crime thriller that did keep me on my toes. I went in with no expectations and came out pleasantly surprised.
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