In the world of film, there are very few prospects with as
high a grade of difficulty as the dual role. On the surface, it’s an actor’s
greatest dream: A chance to showcase range within the confines of a single
film, be it for comedy like with the cinematic works of Mel Brooks and Monty
Python, for dramatic purposes like with the HBO adaptation of Angels In America
or even to add a touch of the surreal like with Spike Jonze’s Adaptation.
However, this is assuming that all actors are able to maintain multiple
personas at once on set, and even then it can just as easily be used for evil
as it can for good. One look at the Seltzerberg catalogue shows a ready use of
this technique, with frankly embarrassing and nipple-twistingly painful
results. A good rule of thumb when attempting this on film is to stick with
characters who will naturally look like each other to begin with: Basically,
clones or identical twins. As such, today’s film seems to be a decent place to
try this out, not to mention bringing in a capable actor for it in the form of
Tom Hardy. But intentions are one thing; do they actually pull it off?
