Enemy (2013): Manipulative But Suspenseful

There's a popular theory surrounding Denis Villeneuve's Enemy, a theory that the entire movie takes place in the head of its main character, the mild-mannered Adam Bell. I think this theory epitomizes everything I don't like about the film. Watching it sometimes feels like licking the mold off the back of the refrigerator in the hopes of hallucinating something fantastic, and it eventually hits its stride as a well-acted, suspenseful cinematic experience that sometimes forgets it has to be a story, too. It's hard to tell how much of this movie is real and how much is fake, and so the prospect of getting invested in Adam and his well-being is too often undercut by the possibility that neither might actually be in danger. There's not a whole lot going on in this admittedly creative story, but though it can sometimes feel empty and unsure of what to do with its ideas, Jake Gyllenhaal's spectacular acting in the dual roles of Adam and Anthony, a college professor and his mysterious doppelgänger, keeps its head and its intentions from ever going completely under.

Enemy is a movie that leans completely on its way-out premise, and that's not entirely a bad thing. It builds raw suspense and dread in a way few other movies choose to or even can, and everything it does is in service of making it seem as if the worst thing imaginable is the only thing that could possibly be lurking around the next corner. However, reliance on a gimmick is restrictive. Watching Enemy feels like watching a really good student film that nonetheless wants to lean on big ideas and shock factor so that it can avoid figuring out what it wants to do with its story or why. This is a well-acted, suspenseful, and creative drama that doesn't bother to learn how to behave like a proper narrative should.

In addition, Enemy feels manipulative. Sicario, one of Villeneuve's later directorial efforts, uses the real-life drug wars of Mexico to perfectly capture the natural sense of dread that Enemy obviously hoped to, and the difference between the two movies is that the dread of Enemy doesn't feel as though it has any good reason to exist. Strange doppelgängers and ample jealousy between the two of them make for an intriguing premise, but it's not exactly a scary one, and I occasionally found myself thinking, yes... this movie is trying to be menacing... but for what reason? Washed-out, self-important cinematography doesn't help its case, tinging Enemy yellow for seemingly no other reason than to tinge it yellow. That same cinematography works quite well under the covers of shadow and night, but I wish everything exposed to direct sunlight in this movie looked less boring.

The score of Enemy is foreboding and ambient, the type of score felt more in your bones than heard with your ears. It's in a similar vein to the already-mentioned Sicario, and evokes a similar dread. Nevertheless, there are moments when this score feels a little out of place, almost as if the editor accidentally inserted it into the wrong scene. I'd hear scary background music when there wasn't really any reason for it to be playing, and wind up more confused than afraid. An additional dose of restraint would have done this movie a lot of favors, making it feel less like the first draft of a better film.

Gyllenhaal and his dual characters are the biggest saving grace of Enemy. This movie insistently focuses on Adam and Anthony, and it's more interested in them as people than in what happens to them, which makes the two men believable and captivating. Gyllenhaal's acting is subtle and very good, the best thing about this movie. The most impressive thing about his performance is that he plays two identical characters, and yet, thanks to subtle shifts in his mannerisms, I was never confused about which doppelganger was which, and that's probably my absolute favorite thing about Enemy. It doesn't have to tell you everything out loud, because its silent insinuations are impossible to miss.

Ultimately, this movie is basically one big gimmick, and that's not entirely a bad thing, though it is limiting. Enemy gives off the vibe of a really good student film, a student film excited to lean on big ideas and shock factor, but significantly less interested in figuring out what it wants to do with its story or why. Though I'd be lying if I dismissed the entire movie as completely empty, Enemy is ultimately a well-acted and suspenseful drama that sometimes forgets to fill in the gaps in its premise with a narrative. As I said, it often feels like the first draft of a better screenplay, and much of me is curious about what would have become of their story if the writers had put another month of effort into it. I'm also curious what kind of movie this could have been if it had asked us questions instead of just settling for telling us everything it wanted us to know.

Audiences will likely appreciate the novelty of this movie, though anyone wanting a more action-packed psychological thriller - or a better one, for that matter - should look elsewhere. Enemy is far from Denis Villeneuve's most intense movie, or even his best one. However, it's still an original thriller with some undeniably strong structural elements, elements that this movie's lack of subtlety sometimes makes more noticeable. It's a shocking movie, but it's also not a particularly surprising one. It's a lot like that kid at the talent show with one incredible trick and not much else to him - once he's off-stage, he'll be out of your mind, but while he's on it, he's genuinely impossible to ignore.

Enemy - 6/10

Luke 24:36-46