In the psychological thriller Enemy, a guy finds out that he has an exact physical double – down to their voices and the scars on their bellies. He can’t resist looking up and meeting his twin, which unleashes some unanticipated consequences.
One guy is a tweedy college professor, kind and introspective. His doppelganger is an actor who doesn’t filter his own venal self-interest. Essentially, the difference between these two is that one guy has a conscience and the other guy doesn’t. They are both played by Jake Gyllenhaal.
The physical similarities even confound their partners (Sarah Gadon and Melanie Laurent). Gadon’s performance is especially compelling in a scene when she first meets an amiable guy who doesn’t know her, but physically seems to be her husband. Yeesh.
The key to Enemy’s surpassing the gimmick of double casting is that Gyllenhaal’s performance is so brilliant. The difference between the two characters is so subtle.
You always know which guy you’re watching, but, other than wardrobe, it’s often hard to figure out how we can tell – it’s just in Gyllenhaal’s carriage, the occasional gesture and the hint of rapaciousness in the one character’s eyes.
Enemy is not completely literal and realistic. Be prepared for some large and startling creatures that you will not expect.
Director Denis Villenueve knows how to deliver suspense and thrills, as he did in my top movie of 2011, Incendies, and in last year’s underrated thriller Prisoners, (also with Gyllenhaal). Enemy isn’t as good as those films, but it’s an entertaining and mildly thought-provoking thriller.