The Great Impersonation: Double the Trouble, Half the Excitement

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school black and white mysteries that focus more on accents than actual plot holes, you'll have a decent time. If you need your thrillers to make sense every single minute, you're going to be annoyed by the third act. Honestly, it's perfect for a rainy afternoon when you just want to watch people in suits argue about loyalty.

The whole setup hinges on the idea that two men look exactly alike. It's a trope as old as time, but watching Edmund Lowe try to juggle the duality of Baron von Ragastein and Sir Everard Dominey is actually pretty fun. He has this way of stiffening his posture whenever he needs to be the English gentleman that feels almost cartoonish.

There is a scene in the library that feels like it lasts for an eternity. The lighting is moody, sure, but nobody seems to notice that the doors are constantly left ajar. I kept waiting for someone to just close a door, but no. We just keep having hushed, frantic conversations in drafty hallways.

Oddly specific observations:

• The way the servants seem to know everything but say nothing. It's like they're NPCs in a video game that haven't been programmed to interact yet.
• The sheer amount of drinking. I'm pretty sure everyone in this movie is functioning entirely on high-proof brandy and anxiety.
• That one vase in the corner of the drawing room that looks like it's about to tip over in every single shot. It was more suspenseful than the actual espionage.

If you’ve seen The Three Musketeers, you’ll recognize that same era’s obsession with dramatic posturing. It’s a very 1930s way of acting where every movement has to be big enough to be seen from the back row of a theater. It doesn't always translate well to a screen, but it has a weird charm.

The pacing is honestly a bit of a mess. It rushes through the initial swap like it's trying to catch a train, then slows down to a crawl just as things should be getting tense. It's almost as if the editor got tired halfway through and decided to just let the reels run.

Still, there's something about the production design that feels grounded. It doesn't look like a set, even though I know it is. It looks like a dusty, uncomfortable house where secrets go to die. That counts for a lot in my book.

Ultimately—or whatever, I promised I wouldn't use that word—it’s just a movie about a guy pretending to be another guy. It’s not trying to win an Oscar. It’s just trying to fill an hour and change with enough plot to keep you guessing. It mostly works. Except for that ending. I'm still not sure what they were thinking there.