Foolproof

I rented this video on a whim as I enjoy heist flicks, but went in expecting really grade B material. I ended up thoroughly enjoying this film! Ryan Reynolds and the cast were funny without overdoing it and worked well together. The film wasn't burdened with cheesy dialogue, hokey special effects and the such. Throughout it maintained a smart approach toward keeping the characters in the forefront. Yes, the heist sequences were detailed and decent in their own right and is on par with that of Entrapment but maybe even better: cool to watch without it being way, way over the top. But we never lose sight of the three central characters. It's finding these small niche gems that make watching films an adventure.

5 June 2005. this no name, no budget mystery caper surprisingly is a solid piece of film-making with an excellent plot twist, taut writing and acting along with a good music track. There is a delightful laid back transition into a more sinister scenario along with a few spicy scenes that never become over the top. Somewhat manipulative in places, but not really more than most mystery thriller genre movies. The characters could have been more refined and restrained in a few places, but overall this a good "see" if one is looking for something exciting when it comes to crime films - a sort of mini Oceans 11 or 12 on a smaller scale without all the big action. Seven out of Ten Stars.

While not up to the pace and drama of The Italian Job or Heist,this made for cable epic is redeemed by a nice twist ending.

Kristin Booth as the female lead has charm and presence. Her smile lights up the screen and she looks capable of the part played by her character, with a well muscled build unlike the typical stick woman of Hollywood.

David Suchet, who you may remember as the cop in A Perfect Murder, underplays the villain well though the other leads struggle more with the wooden dialogue.

A diverting way to spend some time. Certainly better than The Score, which wasted a huge budget and big name actors. Here, a modest budget and working talent exceed expectations.

Foolproof was the largest domestic opening for a Canadian film. Roughly 2 million in prints and advertising was wasted on what was a truly an abysmal caper film. I was hoping for it to do well, felt the need to cheer for the cinematic home team but after seeing it I tried to understand why so much money was sunk into a film without a chance. AT the heart of the story lies a trio of friends led by the talented Canadian export Ryan Reynolds. They stage "foolproof" capers as a fun thing to do as friends. This was the first script obstacle which was terribly wonky and hard to get over but we move on. Enter bad guy, played with the stereotypical menace by David Souchet, another good actor whose talents were wasted by the director. What ensues is a ridiculous story which is so poorly written that the film can't possibly survive it's own running time. It tries to be a high impact crime caper full of twists and turns. The problem is that like many great caper films, the script has to be airtight. This script was no where near production ready. Another problem is that Foolproof didn't have the budget that caper films require in order to be successful. They blew their load on one or two scenes and the rest of the film looks like a TV movie. It's sad that this film died such a public death. It makes it so much harder for other Canadian films to get out there. While I admire the risk taken on Foolproof's domestic release, I'm saddened that they blew a bunch of cash releasing a mediocre film, that never had a chance.

I loved this movie.

Foolproof is a pretty intelligent caper film that rises above standard caper/action movies that you get from, say, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Acting: It was very good, but the acting from Ryan Reynolds was great. I found his delivery perfect for the role.

Script: The script was fairly intelligent but fell into a few standard-caper-script holes in a few spots. Overall the script maintained its character through the interpersonal banter, particularly with Reynolds.

Soundtrack: Excellent. Perhaps the greatest complement to an intelligent movie is a groovy soundtrack that helps keep the momentum of the film going. This soundtrack is groovy. Think Ocean's Eleven with George Clooney.

Plausibility: Well, here we have problems. Don't think this is realistic, just be thankful you don't have Arnie flying a Harrier jet. Hey, it's as plausible as Ocean's Eleven.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie, and I would happily recommend it to almost anyone.

8/10