The Double (2013) - One of those films that’s hard to describe

Okay, I quite liked ‘The Double,’ but I’m not sure how many other people will.  What’s it about?  A man who works in a dead end office job (don’t we all?) who, for no real reason, one day finds an identical man working in the same building, only this ‘double’ is highly successful and appealing to women.

Now, whether that premise appeals to you or not is one thing.  However, the way it’s filmed is also paramount as to whether you’re actually going to enjoy the film.  In short: it’s a bit weird.  If you’ve seen either David Lynch’s ‘Eraserhead’ or Terry Gilliam’s ‘Brazil’ then you’ll sort of know the weird vibe that this film tries to convey.  It’s almost a little hard to place when and where this film is set.  At times it’s like it’s supposed to be set in the nineteen fifties then suddenly they’ll use a mobile phone and remind us that it’s really present day.

Fans of Jessie Eisenberg may feel that his –central – performance is a little more ‘subdued’ than usual.  But then he’s deliberately playing himself down to illustrate just how ‘low down’ the pecking order his character really is.

And it’s slow.  Not in a boring kind of way, just deliberately so.  The story rambles as it chooses atmosphere over action.  I can see a lot of people not liking it, saying it’s simply ‘boring.’ However, it all depends on whether you like this sort of film as to whether you’re going to get anything out of it.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights