The Tiger's Tail
John Boorman, 2006 (7.9*)
This uneven but intriguing story gives superb Irish actor Brendan Gleeson a field day as a wealthy Dublin developer's aristocratic lifestyle is severely interrupted by the appearance of his doppelganger, who is at first just a hallucination, then a major intrusion. The plot has many twists and unexpected resolutions. Gleeson's own son, Briain Gleeson, plays the capitalist's socialist son, who quips that "many people had to become poor to make you rich".
These dual roles gave Gleeson a chance to show his subtleties, as each character looks the same but are slightly different. The weakest cast member is American Kim Catrall as his trophy wife - she just doesn't have the accent nor the skills to measure up to the rest of the authentic cast; she's better suited for Sex and the City.
What begins as a comedy turns darker about midway, before making some good statements about one's missed opportunities to be more human in our pursuits of careers and wealth. Not Boorman's best, that would be Hope and Glory, nor Gleeson's, I prefer him in In Bruges, but each is good enough to make this one worth the effort.
