Doors Open (TV 2012)

A self-made millionaire, an art professor and a banker swap priceless art with forgeries and make off with the goods.

Director:

Marc Evans

Writers:

Ian Rankin (novel), James Mavor (adaptation),

Stars:

Rab Affleck, Kenny Blyth, Kenneth Collard

Cast

Credited cast:
Rab Affleck	...	Hate
Kenny Blyth	...	Brighty
Kenneth Collard	...	Allan Cruickshank
Elliot Cowan	...	Bruce Cameron
Lenora Crichlow	...	Laura Stanton
Stephen Fry	...	Professor Robert Gissing
Niall Greig Fulton	...	Westie
Gilly Gilchrist	...	D.I. Ransome
Douglas Henshall	...	Mike Mackenzie
Ling Law	...	Supporting Actress
Brian McCardie	...	Charlie Calloway
Sarah McCardie	...	Carol
Paul McCole	...	Glenno
Kirstin McLean	...	Estate Agent
Raymond Mearns	...	Wee Martin

Storyline

Mike McKenzie is a bored,self-made millionaire who is cheered to learn that art auctioneer Laura Stanton,the old flame he allowed to escape him,is back in Edinburgh. Mike is disdainful of private art collectors and is interested when art expert Professor Gissing suggests that they,along with banker Allan Cruikshank,devise a plan to swap priceless paintings from the national gallery and owned by a banking conglomerate for clever forgeries. The forgeries will be left behind,giving the impression that the thieves abandoned their haul when they fled. For a single day the gallery is open to the public under the Doors Open scheme and the trio plan to use this to their advantage. Mike brings on board another old friend,small time crook Charlie Calloway,but Charlie is in debt to a gang boss known as the Geordie and wants a painting to buy him off. The gang use a fake fire drill to pull off the theft and,despite getting locked in the gallery,are successful. Laura returns to Mike,who confesses ...

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Plot Keywords:

art gallery | based on novel

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Scottish Gaelic

Release Date:

26 December 2012 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sprout Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sandi Toksvig:  Credited as part of the writing and production team, she is seen briefly as one of the phone operators during the auction.

User Reviews

Badly paced, and almost colonial

At least half of this badly paced and poorly written crime caper could have been cut. Most of the first hour drags... the "heist" is mildly entertaining, but doesn't make up for the rest.

All the educated, middle class people, apart from Douglas Henshall's character are English, or have English accents. And all the schemies/working class people have Glaswegian ones. (Apart from some Geordie criminals!) Edinburgh is not like that, and it seems all too reminiscent of the Alasdair Gray row. Is Scotland colonised? Well, watching this, you'd well think so. Apparently almost all Scots live in council house schemes, are football obsessed and don't get involved in the art world. The hegemony implicit in this is outrageous!