Deception (R, 2008)

Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor star as cat and mouse in this stylized thriller about an accountant who is befriended by a mysterious, powerful stranger. After mistakenly switching cell phones, the naive Jonathon (McGregor) finds himself seduced by Wyatt's (Jackman) involvement in a sex club called the List, as he takes calls on Wyatt's phone. When a female caller asks if he is free that night Jonathon steps into a world where beautiful, professional women and handsome men engage in one-night trysts without strings. Jonathon soon falls for a girl named "S" (Michelle Williams) and becomes irrevocably embroiled in Wyatt's larger scheme of blackmail and murder.

Though it's shot in a slick, glamorous manner and features some real star power, DECEPTION is riddled with spoken cliches and implausible plot twists. Not only is the sex club an unlikely fantasy, where women are as hungry for sex and willing to engage in "intimacy without intricacy," but Jonathon's naivete is very hard to swallow. Perhaps it's McGregor's Scottish brogue sneaking through his Flatbush inflection that makes the character a bit of a joke. Or his nerdy character's unlikely romance with the stunning "S."

There are some lovely shots of New York City, and Michelle Williams does a great job. But the plot is rather predictable, and the ending is not surprising. If only the actors had been given more to work with -- and the women hadn't been portrayed as sex-starved automatons.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Director: Marcel Langenegger
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 108 minutes
Theatrical release: April 25, 2008
DVD release: September 23, 2008
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: sexual content, language, brief violence and some drug use.