Incógnito

I have seen this movie more times than any other. There is something unusual about this movie: you like it but can not really figure out what exactly makes you feel that way. There is suspense and drama here. The direction is good and so is the part played by the actors. The story grips you almost from the beginning until the last scene. The movie lets you roam around the inner circles of art and forgery. Probably all this adds up to make it a movie that one enjoys watching, any time, all the time.

"Incognito" is one of those gems that you have to dig deep to discover. A relatively unknown movie, I bumped onto it as it was shown on the TV: I started viewing it hoping it to be at least watchable, and I was pleasantly surprised to realize that in fact it was really good.

The story is about a highly talented arts forger (Patrick), who agrees to paint a fake Rembrandt picture for $500,000. However, things get complicated when a girl he sleeps with (Jacob) happens to be one of the experts to judge its authenticity, and she gives the painting thumbs down. As if this were not enough, his employers change their tune with him, and this is when everything turns rather sour...

Jason Patrick is really good in his role; so good in fact, that I re-aligned my overall rating for him completely after this movie (it wasn't that high before that, as you can imagine). Irene Jacob is also good as his girlfriend, while Rod Steiger plays a small role but still manages to remind us of his grand standing. The film is well-directed, with the pace running smoothly; neither unnecessarily fast, nor boringly slow. All in all, a surprisingly good film: 8/10.

This is a typical B-thriller that airs on a Friday night. Because of that, my expectations for the movie weren't exactly huge. But I really felt enjoyed when watching this, it was in fact quite exciting. The story about a an art forger who fakes a Rembrandt picture is a quite good one, and was a relieving difference from most other B-thrillers. Although I doubt that the way he fakes the painting is possible in real life, it was very well made for this film. Remember, it's only a movie. The acting is mediocre. Not good, but not bad either. That doesn't matter much here, because it's the story that makes this a pretty good movie. The film takes place in Europe, something I liked for a change.

Harry Donovan is an art forger who paints fake Rembrandt picture for $500,000. The girl he meets & gets into bed with in Paris, Marieke turns out to be an arts expert. Harry's clients are using to check the counterfeit picture he painted. I knew this was going going to be a class A film but it does give a good the peek into the world of Art, Art History & Art Forgery. Anyone who considers themselves curious about Rembr&t, his place in the art world, & the art world's place in history will enjoy this movie. There are some interesting moments in this film, particularly for those who love art. The movie is actually much more complicated that the short summary I have provided. Jordan Katz's screenplay is full of authoritative, fascinating facts about how art is variously made, copied, authenticated & exposed as fake. 'Incognito' could serve as a handy tool for teaching courses in the detection of art forgery. Directed by John Badham, a Hollywood hack with a decent commercial track record (Saturday Night Fever, Short Circuit, War Games, Stakeout) Jason Patrick is really good in his role Patric is believable in his role as a suffering artist & skillfully shifts from unlikable to sympathetic. ; Irene Jacob is also good as his girlfriend (she is known for her films with Krzysztof Kieslowski) Rod Steiger plays a small role but still has the staying power of the great actor we know. The romance with Jacobs, who plays, Marieke van den Broeck, reminds us of a "39 Steps" Hitchcock kind of way. The European locales (Dutch, Spanish,Parisian) are very much like paintings & the director & cinematographer did a good job here. Too bad the DVD transfer was so poor. The film is well-directed. I found the DVD transfer poor & grainy etc. I guess in 1997 transfers were not as good as now. The movie looked pretty poor on my big screen HDTV. I think this film had limited release fared poorly & was sent right to DVD. Really I don't know why as it really a pretty acceptable thriller.

I just saw this piece on Czech TV. Although it was somewhat spoiled by translation, it caught my attention from the beginning till the finale. The cooperation of editing and screenplay is very good, it made me feel like watching some James Bond movies ... except this one was based on art, of course. I also loved the pace of this pleasantly surprising film, it flew with no significant faults. There are many films on TV in our country and majority of them are pure crap. Especially when you see them on midnight hour. This one was really pleasant and I am glad I spent my time with it.

7/10 Really watchable !