Ein schräger Vogel

This is weird but wonderful movie that you are going to either love or hate. Phil Collins plays the role of Roland Copping, a creepy twisted insurance assessor with an evil sense of humour, really well. In fact the acting by all is good and would highly recommend you get the popcorn in and enjoy the fun of a movie that threatens to be scarier than it is.

Coming across this late at night on ITV1 was quite a find really. I had heard of it, and the idea of Phil Collins as a demented villain did appeal. I really liked the oddball quality of it all, with Collins wonderful as a jovial, buffoonish grinner, treading the line between menace and absurdity in portraying one Roland Copping, who one might call a tad eccentric. The lunacy and non-sequiturs build up very effectively in the middle of the film; perhaps the tone might have been made a little more dark, or perhaps less light, presumably with different, less jaunty music.

Maybe it tails off slightly, but the ending somehow seems to me a gem. The absurdism isn't compromised by a happy ending, it is strengthened by a subtle, fitting conclusion.

I wouldn't say this was a perfect film, but it is damn enjoyable, far from the mainstream and never bland. The sets, by the way, for Copping's house, are fab; just thought I had to add that!

Rating:- *** 1/2/*****

"Frauds" is a well acted, weirdly entertaining sadistic fun house ride. Phil Collins, who quite frankly can quickly wear thin, uses that annoyance to full advantage while putting the squeeze on husband and wife Hugo Weaving and Josephine Byrnes. Insurance fraud leads to blackmail and a living nightmare in the form of insurance investigator, Collins. The most intriguing part of "Frauds" is most definitely Collins's neon lit fun house where he resides. That imaginative set piece drives this film. If only it had concluded in a more satisfying manner. The resolution is indeed the weakest part of an otherwise winning movie. - MERK

Beth comes home to find a burglar in her home. During a struggle she kills him and is later cleared of manslaughter. However insurance investigator Roland Copping begins to look into the case looking for fraud. He eventually finds a fraud by Beth's husband Jonathon and begins to blackmail the couple in a game where the stakes continually rise.

This is an Australian comedy - oops! immediate turn off for me. And it stars Phil Collins - double oops. Whenever I see Phil Collins in a film my immediate assumption is that they couldn't get Bob Hoskins. This really needed to do something special to win me over. And for the first half it does - the robbery scenes are good and then Collins uncovering the fraud is very interesting. However the second half is all a bit daft - Collin's living in an unlikely toy-store house with a range of gadgets and Jonathon being drawn into a deadly game. It has it's moments but the second half is a bit silly.

The cast are mixed. Collins is not a great actor and hams it up - however here the film so overdone that his style almost fits.....almost. His childhood is not well enough explored and instead we are treated to fancy sets and fantasy sequences that aren't set in any context. Byrnes is good as the harassed wife but Hugo Weaving is lost with a stretched role where he has to jump from gentle husband to being on the same level as Collins.

Overall the first half is quite interesting - you don't totally know what's going on in every situation. However the second half is a bit silly and Collins loses any believability as a character. It's a little entertaining but the colourful child-like set takes away much of the dark mystery of the first half.

I realise the first thing people who look at this movie will think 2 things. Australia and Phil Collins grumble, grumble, grumble...Well I watched this film in as best an objective observer as I could be. I like Phil Collins as a musician, I say like, I mean I really like, but however if I thought he was awful I would say so. Sure this film was not going to win an Oscar, But it's clever, Quirky and the humour is darkly rich. The 3 leads are excellent, All border line madness as their worlds collapse around them at various moments. I really enjoyed this film and also goes to show that not only do you not have to spent mega bucks on a good wacky thriller but keep your eyes peeled, The uk and USA don't have the rights anymore on making appealing movies. Rent it, Buy it, Watch it, It will make a good Saturday night :)