The Double
Dir: Richard Ayoade
2013
****
Richard Ayoade has said in interviews that his favorate film is Zazie dans le métro. Indeed, Louis Malle and a few other French New Wave directors have obviously been an influence as well as surrealists such as Terry Gilliam and early Luc Besson. That's fine though, Ayoade does bring something of his own to the mix and after only two films is an accomplished director of real talent. Bringing Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Double to life over 150 years after it was first published is no mean feat and he seems to do it effortlessly. Seriously, is this really only his second feature? Getting Noir right is a tricky thing, here he seems to achieve it effortlessly. I'm pretty far from being Jesse Eisenberg's number one fan but I thought he was perfectly cast as the good guy and the bad guy. It's lovely to see Ayoade include past collaborators (both from his work in front of and behind the camera) and friends as well. I think he's going to be a big player in the future, I certainly think he deserves it anyway.