Deception

Deception

**

Reviewed by: Angus Wolfe Murray

The person being deceived is you. The movie starts at the end, which is pointless, and then goes back a week, leading up to what you know will be a bloody outcome.

Thrillers require logic, particularly in the double cross. You can't just change the rules half way and say the good girl is now a bad girl and the sicko axe murderer was only pretending, unless it fits together neatly, like in Fargo, and there are no loose ends.

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Ben Affleck comes out of jail, picks up his murdered cell mate's pen pal (Charlize Theron) at the gate, is beaten up by her brother (Gary Sinise) and his gang of uglies in a motel room and forced to help in a raid on a casino in some far off Indian reservation.

They think he's the dead cell mate, who used to work in the casino and knows where the money is. He says its a case of mistaken identity and he's someone else who was locked up for stealing cars. They tell him if that's the case, he's useless to them and should be shot.

Before getting excited, remember the title. Nothing is as it seems and nothing makes sense.

Affleck is physically abused a lot. Sinise used to be a good actor. Theron wears tight pants and takes her top off.

Watching them flounder in a rubbish script is faintly entertaining, as long as you don't believe a word of it.

Reviewed on: 19 Jan 2001
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An ex-con assumes his dead cellmate's identity and gets caught up in a heist.
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Director: John Frankenheimer

Writer: Ehren Kruger

Starring: Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, Dennis Farina, James Frain

Year: 2000

Runtime: 104 minutes

BBFC: 15 - Age Restricted

Country: US

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