This movie by Stefan Schwartz (co-written with Richard Holmes) thinks it is cleverer than it actually is, and comes out as an odd hybrid of crime caper and romance.
Two conmen - the charmless Dan Futterman as American Dylan, and geeky Stuart Townsend as Jez - have long-standing dreams of making lots of cash by any means to fund their very own stately home. Posh totty Kate Beckinsale as Georgie (a doctor-in-training with secretarial skills) joins them as the beauty and brains of the team and causes havoc between them.
Involved in this semi-engaging brew are voice recognition computer systems, cremation, loft insulation, blow-up dolls, light sabres, a tatty old racehorse, £50 bills, and the music of Burt Bacharach. Glimpsed in the cast are Phyllis Logan, Annette Crosbie, Peter Capaldi, Jane Lapotaire, Nickolas Grace, Nicholas Woodeson, and (in a small but wickedly funny role as Georgie's boyfriend) Dominic Mafham.
'Shooting Fish' is fairly enjoyable but tends to shoot itself down quite early on, without much chance of recovering. Does it know what it is supposed to be? An idea with potential and some laughs, but this movie doesn't know which way to jump.
