First trailer and poster for the new thriller Enemy with Jake Gyllenhaal

January 31st 2014, 7:29pm

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Get ready for some doppelganger thrills!

Jake Gyllenhaal reteams with his PRISONERS director, Denis Villeneuve, in the thriller ENEMY, which screened at TIFF last year (our review here). Gyllenhaal plays a man who "seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie" with some seemingly disasterous effects. The trailer is well chopped and oozes a dark, giddy, and suspenseful vibe as Gyllenhaal squares off with Gyllenhaal to get to the bottom of his "situation." The film co-stars Sarah Gadon, Mélanie Laurent, and Isabella Rossellini.

Do a double take:

Here's the synopsis:

ENEMY tells the story of a university lecturer named Adam (Gyllenhaal) who is nearing the end of a relationship with his girlfriend Mary (Laurent). One night, while watching a film, Adam spots a minor actor who looks just like him. Consumed by the desire to meet his double, Adam tracks down Anthony, an actor living with his pregnant wife Helen (Gadon) and engages him in a complex and dangerous struggle. The film is a haunting and provocative psychosexual thriller about duality and identity, where in the end only one man will survive.

After last year's PRISONERS, I'm excited to see more from Viilleneuve, who shows great strength at building a suspenseful film, which seems to get lost in the shuffle of simply supplying thrills in the more contemporary "thrillers" out there today. Gyllenhaal as well has begun to take shape as an actor, fitting into more grown-up roles that offer some challenges more so than a paycheck. Perhaps he'll learn the "McConaughey lesson" early on and stay on the right path. ENEMY certainly looks like a solid entry on that journey.

ENEMY is set for an exclusive release on DirecTV on February 6, 2014 and will have a limited theatrical run on March 14, 2014.