Deceiver

Deceiver is a crime drama centered on the interrogation of James Walter Wayland, the wealthy and self-destructive heir to a textile fortune. When a young prostitute is found brutally murdered, evidence points toward Wayland, and two detectives, Edward Kennesaw and Phillip Braxton, bring him in for questioning. What begins as a routine polygraph examination becomes a psychological contest, as Wayland, who is epileptic and highly intelligent, manipulates the session and turns the investigators against each other, drawing out their own concealed motives. Elizabeth, the victim, appears in the story through the events surrounding her death.

The film was directed by Josh Pate and Jonas Pate, who also wrote the screenplay, following their debut feature The Grave in 1996. Tim Roth plays Wayland, with Michael Rooker as Kennesaw, Chris Penn as Braxton and Renée Zellweger as Elizabeth. Rosanna Arquette appears as Mrs. Kennesaw and Karina Logue as a sorority girl. Produced by Peter Glatzer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and MDP Worldwide, it runs 106 minutes.

Audience response has been moderate. On IMDb the film holds 6.4 out of 10 from roughly 7,600 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6 out of 10 from about 143 votes. A critics' rating of 5.5 out of 10 from 31 reviews places professional reception close to the audience scores, with neither group regarding it as a standout.