Foolproof (2003)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

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 license plate on Rob's car is AFYL 983.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount and location of the "knockout goo" on Ken's ears changes in the shots following the phone call.

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 Herbie Rides Again (1974)

Soundtrack:

Right Place Wrong Time

I was surprised.

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.