Foolproof (2003)

Director:

William Phillips

Writer:

William Phillips (written by)

Release Date:

3 October 2003 (Canada)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

No more games.

Plot:

Kevin, Sam and Rob are founding members of a theoretical group which pulls off heists. Leo, a gangster, blackmails them into pulling off a real multi-million dollar heist. Now it's up to them to get out alive.

Plot Keywords:

Heist | Planning | Blackmail | Chess Game | Toronto

Cast

Ryan Reynolds	...	Kevin
Kristin Booth	...	Sam
Joris Jarsky	...	Rob
Sean Sullivan	...	Stan
Tara Slone	...	Maggie
Soo Garay	...	Hamish Receptionist
William House	...	Stanley Q. Hamish
Wai Choy	...	Harry
James Allodi	...	Detective Mason
Mif	...	Kenny (as Anthony Mifsud)
Duff MacDonald	...	Harlon
David Suchet	...	Leo Gillette
David Hewlett	...	Lawrence Yeager
Laura Catalano	...	Sandi
Philip Craig	...	Albert Humphrey

Also Known As:

À toute épreuve (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual references.

Runtime:

Canada:94 min (Québec)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:15 | Canada:PG | Germany:12 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Trivia:

The movie was not only the widest release of a Canadian movie in history (as of October 2003), but had a record-breaking marketing budget of $2 million.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Leo gives Sam his gun in the basement. She aims at him. Then he says he would never give her a loaded weapon and tells her he took out the magazine. But when Sam puts the mag in and loads the gun (pulling back the slide) you can clearly see a bullet flying out of the shell ejection. So that means there was a bullet in the barrel all along and she wouldn't have needed the mag at all which tells us that Leo is not a professional or more likely that the crew screwed it up.

Quotes:

Leo Gillette: I believe this is yours.
[holds up Sam's diary containing a record of their planned heists]
Leo Gillette: It's an impressive read: bold, yet meticulous strategies. I love the one where you tried to figure out how to pinch the Stanley Cup. It's very... Canadian.

Movie Connections:

References "The Addams Family" (1964)

Soundtrack:

I Can Hear You Calling

A hidden gem

Slick, witty, snappy, tight, and fun. Bright, endearing leads. David Suchet is really good as someone who really isn't very nice. The heists (and camera/editing), while not exactly Mission Impossible, are innovative and exciting, and although you always know what's going to happen it's a fun ride getting there.

Foolproof doesn't have the same star-quality you might find in some bigger releases, but the film looks crisp and colourful with good (eg. believable, unobtrusive) special effects, and there are plenty of films - and big-name directors - who could learn a thing or two about getting sparky performances, and a pacy, neat little caper.