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32 reviews in total

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26 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
Relatively Unknown Gem, 16 January 2005

Author: jcanettis from Athens, Greece

"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.

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17 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
My all times favorite, 24 May 2001

Author: ashper from Pakistan

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.

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15 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Not bad, 1 October 1998

Author: Jim Kenney (jimfk@hotmail.com) from New York

A bit of a pleasant surprise (considering its lack of theatrical release in the NY area), Incognito is a fairly involving drama/thriller involving a disturbed artist who's gotten so entangled in the underworld of art forgery he's never formed an identity of his own...he does a great Rembrandt, but Irene Jacob spots it as a fake, which both infuriates and attracts him...a murder occurs and the pursuit is on, with him trying to clear his name and trying to become a "real" artist...Patric is a little too brooding and pouty, making him hard to like for much of the film (C. Sheen or J. Depp could make him a much more sympathetic "bad" boy), but beautiful location work (widescreen, too -- I saw the laserdisc -- on video it's probably a mess) and the lovely & talented Ms. Jacob make it a surprisingly unique experience...check it out.

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9 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Underrated, 28 December 2000
Author: artie412 from New York, NY

Yes, the production values of INCOGNITO (especially the gauzy photography) smack of "B" Level production, this film shines for a few reasons, most notably the peek into the world of Art, Art History and Art Forgery. Anyone who considers themselves curious about both Rembrandt, his place in the art world, and the art world's place in history will enjoy this movie. The performances are excellent, and it deserved better than Direct to Video.

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11 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
incredibly frustrating movie, 17 February 2000

Author: negeati from toronto, ontario, canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This movie made me very frustrated. It is a well acted movie, especially by Irene Jacob, but even Jason Patric does a an OK job. The villain is quite general but well conceived.

The biggest problem is the script, which is very intelligent. So why is this a problem? Because no matter how intelligent it is, it still has huge holes. For example, in the beginning Harry (Jason Patric) is seen running from the police on TV. Was there a cameraman present? And why is the TV black-and-white? Then after him and Marieke know each better (if you get my drift), she says that she has to leave in a hurry, yet she is not hurrying. Also, why does Alastair (Thomas Lockyer) kill his Korean partner? Wasn't it enough to accuse Harry of theft? Finally I saved the worst for last: They (Harry and Marieke) are in a London suburbs and Harry uses the phone. Then Marieke who believed herself kidnapped locks Harry in the telephone booth. She locks him from the outside!!!!What is the logic in that? I can understand the lock to be on the inside (Harry's side) but on the outside?!

Yet if you'd like to see a well structured, yet flawed thriller, see "Incognito". It has a boring beginning, an exciting middle and an utterly unsatisfying ending.

5/10

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13 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
It's Different, But Like The Fake Painting You Know It Could Be Better, 8 October 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States

Although sometimes way too slow-moving and not as involving as it should have been, this film was almost a "keeper" in my collection.

The story was different, and I liked it, about an artist producing a fake Rembrandt. Jason Patric, an interesting and underrated actor, played the role on the con 'artist,' so to speak. Appealing-looking Irene Jacob, played the female lead. She was likable, unlike Patric's character.

There are some interesting moments in this film, particularly for those who love art. There also are a few nice shots of Jacob that should please most male viewers. Overall, nothing that super but decent and worth a rental. It's different, I'll say that.....but don't expect a lot.

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Better than most of the junk out there, 5 December 1998

Author: Michael G. Jacobs (mikeyjake@aol.com) from New York, NY

I was VERY pleasantly surprised by this one. Its dialogue on the true meaning of great art is truly interesting, even if simplistic (but not relative to most films out there).

I thought Patric was pretty good, but it's the script itself that does most of the work.

The scenery and imagery is also fantastic.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Pleasant surprise, 4 November 2006

Author: ruuk from Czech Republic

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 !

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
pretty cool, pretty good, 17 June 1999
Author: anonymous from Ann Arbor

Well, not technically sound all the way through, but for 2am on HBO, this is quite a good little movie. Patric seems a little lost, and the whole thing with his father isn't done very well, but Jacob is always nice to watch, and there were enough interesting parts and nice shots, to keep one's attention. In any event, watching those paintings was pretty cool. Pretty good. All in all, a rather pleasant movie.

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2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Upscale Brit Crime Thriller, 14 September 2005

Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico, USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

It's not as bad as I'd expected. It's one of those British crime dramas in which people walk around in Saville Row suits, visit Paris and Spain at will, and drive Jaguars -- and the plot centers around a fake Rembrandt painted by Jason Patric, who is double crossed by a couple of co-conspirators and aided by art expert Irene Jacob.

The sociologist Dean Maccannel, in his book "The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class", has a delightful anecdote about a group of young American tourists in the Louvre or the Prado or someplace, noticing that a number of paintings were designated as having been executed by P. ignotus, Latin for "painter unknown." The kids loved P. Ignotus's work, rushing from hanging to hanging, exclaiming, "Oh, here's another one by Ignotus!" This has nothing to do with the movie unless I want to squeeze it in by saying that I was reminded of Maccannel's story by an argument the fakers are having near the beginning of the film. The production of this fake has taken a long time and Patric has not signed it as Rembrandt van Rijn. The others (who are supposed to be art experts) want him to sign it so they can be sure they'll palm it off as the real thing. But Patric knows (as they should) that not every artist signs every one of his works, Rembrandt included. Without the signature it is less likely to be obviously faked. (I think Michelangelo signed only one of his works, La Pieta, although flamboyantly.) It's kind of interesting to watch Patric fake the painting. Looks convincing enough to me, and I once won a prize for window painting in the 8th grade. The rest of the movie -- with the thieves and murderers in pursuit of Patric and Jacobs -- is kind of routine, with one or two scenes very redolent of Hitchcock. But there's nothing spectacularly WRONG with it. It simply doesn't seem too original and hasn't much in the way of sparkle.

Except for Irene Jacob, the art expert who falls for Jason Patric for reasons that escape me because he looks quite ordinary. SHE doesn't though. I think it was Anthony Burgess who remarked of a chapter in James Joyce's Ulysses that "it may be gibberish but it's English gibberish." Something like that could be said of Jacob's face. She has even features but they are distinctly French even features. She has deep unripe-olive eyes, is not glamorized in any way, but is nevertheless striking, like the girl in a senior high school class that was only available to the captain of the football team. She has a slender modelesque figure with matching breasts. Badham, the director, is tasteful enough to have her disrobe on camera.

The film ends in a trial which is pretty tense and enjoyable, although not in the slightest believable. On trial for murder, Patric has a chance to prove his innocence by reproducing the faked Rembrandt in court, which he can do in a jiffy. One afternoon, in fact. He is well on his way to succeeding, to the dismay of the prosecution and the satisfaction of his counsel, when he stops, throws his palette down, and refuses to go on because "Only Rembrandt can paint Rembrandt." Faking someone else's painting hasn't bothered him a whit before and, man, does this epiphany come at the wrong time.

No matter. It's kind of enjoyable. Worth watching if it comes up but not worth working for.

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