Foolproof - Ausgetrickst

I'll admit it - I only went to see this movie to support the fact that a Canadian movie was playing at my local giant movie-plex - a rarity in these parts. I didn't know all that much about it and I went in thinking that there was a good chance that I was not going to like this movie.

But I was surprised. Although it wasn't the most techno-savvy heist movie with the coolest gadgets and up-to-the-minute technology, it had me entertained. That's not to say that there weren't gadgets and neat props used to pull of the heists - just not a plethora of things like you would see in a huge budget Hollywood movie. The parts in the movie that were supposed to be funny made me laugh and the tense parts had me going.

The setup, a trio of twenty-something friends making a game out of planning the perfect crime without actually any intention of pulling them off, was at least a refreshing start to a caper movie. They are not looking to score diamonds and make it rich - they are satisfied with knowing that they outsmarted the security companies and that they could pull off these jobs if they didn't have morals and a respect for the law (they are just desk-jockies).

I thought that the acting was well-done and the roles were believable. The script was pretty good and at least there wasn't a bunch of cheesy one-liners and awkward dialogue (although I too found that they said "foolproof" more times than warranted).

All in all I would have no problem recommending this to anyone. As long as you don't go into the theatre expecting the smartest, savvy-est, most original heist movie ever to grace the screen, then you'll most likely enjoy it for the 'popcorn movie' that it is.

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.

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

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.

This is a movie I rented pure on the back cover and because of the trailer. The story after all is interesting; a couple of people pretending to do heists get caught by reality.

With such a plot one takes into account a certain level of disbelief and far fetched events but this movie however takes the level just a bit too far. For example, no time is spent on telling how the characters get their extensive knowledge of almost all high tech alarms and a simple picture is enough for them to crack any system. Furthermore these people.. all very young and only one of them seems to have a job have all the latest gadgets available to them... 007 would envy their setup.

Even if one takes this as part of the popcorn this movie is - which I didn't- there are more disturbing factors.

Like the female lead who is about as convincing as Halle Berry in Catwoman with her "I am gonna kick his ass" attitude. For pure torture rewind the first time she confronts the body guard of the bad guy.. this is so painfully bad it hurts. The bad guy never got caught - at least so is told to us- for someone who never got caught he acts stupid the whole movie , some guys must have a lot of luck. No wonder David Suchet looks embarrassed the whole movie.

The "climax" itself has a nice idea behind it - story of this movie, lots of nice ideas- but the execution makes you shake your head in disbelief. The few twists that are behind it make entrapment a masterpiece.

Actually this whole movie feels like an under budget TV pilot. If this is the best Canada has to offer mainstream nowadays I even start to think about re-watching 21 jump street.

This film is even lower as the nobrainer it is made to be, it doesn't show any respect for its audience and takes itself far too serious. If you have anything better to do with your life.. watching paint dry.. clip your toenails please do it and avoid this stinker.