I'm not saying that the deal is off, but we're going to have to really work on clauses 3 and 4 before we can move forward.
I interpret that statement as "unless you come my way on clauses 3 and 4, the deal is off."
For me, it's hard not to read two statements, joined with a 'but', and not interpret the first statement as a 'lie'.
[1] irony intended
If I plainly stated "We're going to have to work on clauses 3 and 4 before we can move forward," you may believe that the issues with these clauses are more severe than I actually believe them to be. Or you may believe that my patience has run out. The qualifier "I'm not saying the deal is off" is intended to express a sense of furthered interest in making the deal work. I "invested" more in my statement as a gesture of good will. An indication that I'm not being dismissive. Have you ever had someone ask you why you were "being so short"? Brevity shows a lack of interest or patience.
It's called subtlety, and it seems lost on a lot of people these days.
The qualifier in this case seems to be an attempt to prime the listener with the fact that this deal is not a sure thing still.
I'd read this as; the person actually did enjoy the movie .. but could have enjoyed it more if it wasn't so OTT. No deception involved.
To read this kind of thing, it's always important to think about what the person's intent is. If someone's behaving in a Machiavellian way, it's _all_ about intent (and possible incentive).