D.C.-Based 'Double' Shot in Michigan

Credit: Image Entertainment

Tonight on Netflix I watched the Washington, D.C.-based spy film "The Double," starring Richard Gere and Topher Grace. The 2011 Michael Brandt-directed movie, about a retired CIA operative (Gere) and a young FBI agent (Grace) on the hunt for a Russian assassin who murdered a U.S. senator, is awful and entertaining at the same time. "The Double" is 98 minutes of mindless entertainment, a vintage Hollywood cliche flick -- so bad it is good.

And it was shot in The Great Lakes State.

That's right. Those gritty urban chase scenes are straight out of Detroit, not D.C. While watching the film, I was sure it was shot in Baltimore, Maryland because that state usually steals film shoots from the nation's capital because of its generous film incentives and close proximity to Washington. That's why it was a surprise to see Detroit, Michigan as the film location in the closing credits.

But should it come as a surprise? While Washington, D.C. doesn't provide tax incentives to lure Hollywood filmmakers, lacks quality production facilities and makes location scouts navigate a difficult maze of federal and local agencies to get permission to shoot, the state of Michigan features a 40 percent refundable tax credit and an additional two percent tax rebate for filming in core cities like Detroit. 

"The Double" is the quintessential Washington, D.C. film. It's just a shame that the filmmakers chose to shoot in Michigan because of the better production incentives.

D.C. can do better.