Foolproof

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Popcorn Heist Flick
Review: (mild spoiler warning)
Foolproof aims for solid matinee fare, and while that's not a highbrow target, it is still a tough mark to hit. Foolproof succeeds with liberal doses of camaraderie, comedy and a clever heist replete with realistic technical detail.

The story begins as Rob, Kevin and Samantha put the finishing touches on the plan for their latest heist--their latest *pretend* heist. The trio comprised of grungy electronics repair guy Rob, insurance adjuster Kevin and, uh, blonde, Samantha, plan heists, to the last detail, for fun. Once they have convinced themselves the plan is foolproof, the game is over and they move on to their next virtual robbery.

Of course, there is a hitch. A folio containing the plans for the current round of foolproof finds its way into the wrong hands. With the threat of turning over the plans to the police, one "Leo the Touch" , played with seething menace by David Suchet, blackmails the three into pulling a very big, very real heist.

While blackmail is nothing new, in Foolproof it is a useful mechanism for forcing our three 'ordinary' protagonists into unusual situations. This conceit draws the viewer into the film, because we can't help but picture ourselves in place of the foolproof gang.

The heist isn't the biggest ever committed to celluloid, but neither does it go over the top with huge, gleaming vaults, laser security systems, or 'Mission Impossible'-style rope work. All of these make an appearance in the film, but in a low-key fashion that doesn't create a target so impregnable that the notion of successful robbery becomes incredible. Keeping the technology in the background keeps the focus on the Kevin, Rob and Sam.

Performances from the three leads are solid. Kristen Booth does her best with the weakest part. We don't know her job or anything about her except that she plays foolproof with the other two. She's the most aggressive of the three, easily incapacitating (at least temporarily) a goon whose hands wander during a pat-down.

Ryan Reynolds plays Kevin, the insurance adjuster. His character comes off as nerdy at first, but I think the nerdiness is a front designed to quell the suspicions of his co-workers about his sometimes odd behaviour.

Rob is played by Joris Jarsky. His part is the meatiest. Running a somewhat moribund electronics repair shop, his ambition-challenged character is sorely tempted by the payoff of a real heist. The growing rapport between Leo and Rob forms the heart of the film and gives this popcorn flick its darkest moments.

The snaky Leo is easily the strongest presence in the film. He is so enjoyably villainous, I felt bad for him when things didn't quite pan out as planned.

Rating:
Summary: "Fool" is right
Review: *1/2 After "The Perfect Score," "Catch That Kid" and now "Foolproof," it would appear that the heist film genre is in dire need of either a blood transfusion or, at the very least, some serious mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "Foolproof" features three former hacker buddies - two male and one female, of course - who have taken up a most unusual hobby: they meticulously devise, plan out and rehearse elaborate burglary schemes that they have no intention of ever carrying out. Even before we have had a chance to buy into that ridiculous premise, the movie goes a step further into narrative idiocy. For what our intrepid little band of reformed lawbreakers doesn't count on is that one day a diabolical criminal will steal one of their plans, then blackmail the three of them into executing the heist for real. Thus, what starts off as an intellectually challenging game for bored computer geeks turns into deadly serious business.

"Foolproof" might have been a halfway interesting film had anybody involved with the project put even the slightest conviction or effort into it. As it is, the script is juvenile, the direction shoddy, the acting stiff and without emotion. It feels as if everyone on both sides of the camera had been simply passing through the studio that day and decided to get together and toss off this flick on their way to better things. The movie is so utterly slapdash in appearance and style and so utterly devoid of meaning and purpose that one wonders why any studio would ever even have bothered to release it.

Is there really much point in watching a caper film about a trio of Pollyana-ish "criminals" who spend all their time tsk-tsking those involved in committing an actual crime? We in the audience are smart enough to know right from wrong even when we're watching a heist film and don't need a bunch of can't-get-with-the-program moralists spoiling all the fun for us.

"Foolproof" lives up to only the first half of its compound word title.





Rating:
Summary: TIDY HEIST FILM
Review: Although FOOLPROOF's leading characters are talented young actors, the film's finest moments come from the delightful performance of that marvelous character actor, David Suchet (Hercule Poirot in the BBC Mystery series). Suchet plays Leo, a cunning, shrewd and acerbic front man, who blackmails our three heroes into doing a heist for him. Why? The three youngsters have been playing a game, devising foolproof heists for pleasure. Suchet, however, steals the plans for one of their heists, and it works beautifully, so he uses this to get the guys to do a 20 million dollar bonds theft.
The movie moves slowly to a rather unpredictable and clever ending, buoyed by Suchet's performance and of course by the charming leads: Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder, Boltneck) as Kevin, the insurance investigator somewhat nerd, who forms the moral conscience of the group; Kristin Booth, a perky, feisty and suggestively sensuous presence; and Joris Jarsky as Rob, the one member who really seems to want to make the bond exchange work. Why not? Suchet has slid him a hefty sum unknown to his comrades, who fail to notice his new clothes and new car? Hmmm.
FOOLPROOF is a refreshingly entertaining movie, that doesn't rely on gratuitous sex scenes or even any major violence. Well directed by William Phillips, this Canadian made film is quite surprisingly good.

Rating:
Summary: Great Little Caper Film!
Review: I had never heard of this Canadian film before, but had seen Ryan Reynolds in "Blade Trinity" recently as well as in "Van Wilder" and, having enjoyed his performances, quickly hunted down a few more of his lessor known films. And I am very glad I did because this film is a real hidden gem! If you enjoy heist/caper films, you will definitely enjoy this. It's not prefect (in fact, it may be just a bit predictable to the most experienced film-watchers) but this is a very slick, beautifully produced, skillfully directed, smartly written movie and is still a lot of fun to watch. Great acting here as well. Reynolds again was terrific in the lead. He is fast becoming one of my favorite actors and is the man to watch in the future. David Suchet is awesome as well as the suave villain. Alternating nicely between suspense, comedy and even a few breathless action sequences, this film is one the most enjoyable surprises I've seen in a long time. Definitely a keeper. An important note to DVD buyers however: There are TWO versions/editions of this film available! One is a single-disc edition distributed by DEJ in the US (the one sold here on Amazon). It is in FULLSCREEN only and is lacking in some of the special features. The other edition is a 2-disc edition distributed in Canada by Alliance-Atlantis. This one is in WIDESCREEN, has more special features (a featurette on the special efffects for example) and has the second disc (a CD) consisting of the complete soundtrack music to the film. The cover art of this Canadian edition is different as well, showing Reynolds, Suchet and Kristen Booth standing in front of a glowing blue vault. Just some info I thought anyone should know if they are thinking about buying the film.

Rating:
Summary: Foolproof isn't quite foolproof ... but close.
Review: I thought this Canadian movie was pretty well made. I love heist movies or films where they use really cool, high-tech ways of breaking into safes and other things... so this one was right up my alley. I can't say I was disappointed. The movie starts out with a group of three people who, for fun only, plan how to break into places and safes ... making their plans "foolproof" so that they are able to go off without a hitch (it's just a game to them). They never carry out their plans though ... until a set of their plans is stolen. Then a mob-like guy contacts them and makes them break into a safe for him. I don't want to give too much away because it has good twists and turns in it. But if you are looking for an entertaining, exciting, funny, interesting movie, definitely give this one a try. Ryan Renolds is a great actor - he made the movie better just by being it. The supporting cast was pretty good as well. It wasn't an award winning movie or anything, but for a night at home watching a decent movie... it's perfect. Also, check out the extras on the DVD. As stated in the Trivia section on IMDB, an interesting tidbit: The movie was not only the widest release of a Canadian movie in history (as of October 2003), but had a record-breaking marketing budget of $2 million.


Rating:
Summary: Underrated Canadian movie
Review: It's a shame that no one went to see this movie. Ryan Reynolds is hilarious as usual, and the script and plot were extremely well done. It isn't the greatest movie of all time, but definitely one of the best heist movies I've seen in a while. A great Canadian movie that I think action-comedy fans will enjoy.