After receiving a terminal diagnosis, a woman decides to clone herself, but when she realises she is not dying, she challenges her clone to fight to the death.
Solid script and solid execution! Great opening sequence that gives you a glimpse of a… sort of dystopia. Cutting to Sarah, the magnificent Karen Gillan, the comedic element surprises on several levels. At times, it is cut and dry; other times, it balances between intentional and unintentional. What enhances it is the lack of emotional response, mostly from Sarah but also from everyone else. Everyone takes this dystopic legality and morality as a matter of course, and while this is not unusual for futuristic scenarios, Dual (which, if you haven’t noticed, already sounds like a “duel”) visually takes place in the present day.
There are a lot more pros than cons in Dual. Gillan is definitely the biggest pro. She’s a great actress, and I, for one, hope to see her in more and more projects over the years other than the MCU. Aaron Paul is great, no matter what he’s in. The writing and directing of Riley Stearns is another great pro for all the abovementioned reasons. While watching it, ask yourselves, where does it take place?* When does it take place? Why do so many people have so many different accents?
Stearns is the man behind the equally quirky, awkward, and unconventional The Art of Self-defence (2019). Yet another film that focuses on martial arts, without taking them seriously, to the point that actually questions their existence.
While darkness hovers throughout all three acts, the ending carries it more heavily. There is a conspiracy behind what happened in the forest, and while it is revealed afterwards, this unsettling feeling of false interconnectedness stenches way past the end credits. Enough said! Enjoy it!
*At least, we know it was shot in Finland.
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[…] Excellent job from the cast: Pål Sverre Hagen, Tuva Novotny, Paul Gross, Trond Fausa, and Rossif Sutherland share Hamer’s vision and brilliantly offer you this flatness and awkwardness the narrative requires. Somehow, the narrative might affect you also due to the actual premise. While allegedly taking place in America, the film was shot mostly in Germany and Canada, and Hamer and Hagen are from Norway, and the rest of the cast is from Norway and Canada. The Middle Man is a collaboration amongst these countries, and its effect will last on you way past the end credits. Interestingly, something similar I encountered in the previous film I reviewed, Dual (2022): https://kaygazpro.com/2023/04/25/dual-2022-comedy-drama-sci-fi/ […]
This one would of passed me by thanks mate for the heads up. Great review.