Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jerry O'Connell | ... | Businessman | |
Jon Polito | ... | Jimmy the Photographer | |
Deborah Kara Unger | ... | Dorothy | |
Steve Coogan | ... | Ray Elliott | |
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Ken Kerman | ... | Vic |
Aimee Garcia | ... | Operator #1 | |
Yasmine Delawari | ... | Operator #2 | |
Mary Pat Gleason | ... | Operator #3 | |
Rebecca Romijn | ... | Lola | |
Henry Rollins | ... | Putty | |
Sergio Bruna | ... | Waiter - Italian Restaurant | |
Selma Blair | ... | Adelle | |
Jim Cody Williams | ... | BoBo | |
Sam Elliott | ... | The Mormon | |
James Brolin | ... | Robert Hatch |
The crook Ray Elliott, whose former partner Jack is under a five million dollar contract, believes in statistics and runs a risk assessment and managing business; actually a front for a company that provides alibis to adulterous people that cheat their mates. He does not accept giving alibis for crimes and he has just hired the alluring Lola to be his assistant. When Wendell Hatch, the reckless son of his wealthy client Robert Hatch, accidentally kills his masochist date Heather in a kinky S&M game, Ray breaks his rules to protect his own name and hire some guys to clean the bedroom and vanish the body. Sooner Ray has many problems to resolve: the police are on his tail trying to find a clue about the disappearance of Heather; her jealous Mexican-American boyfriend wishes revenge against the murderer; Wendell is upset, because Ray told his father about the crime; Robert is angry and hires the hitman "The Mormon" to kill Ray, but the killer spares him to chase Jack. When the jealous ... Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In 'The Alibi' Steve Coogan plays a 'reformed' con man who now runs a 'legitimate' business providing alibis for people when they're cheating on their partners. However, he comes unstuck when an assignment goes wrong and he's forced to cover up for a murder.
Therefore he's forced into many dangerous liaisons with gangsters, street hoods and cops if he's to get out of this (a) alive and (b) stay out of jail.
The film has all the makings of a cheeky guy Ritchie Lock Stock affair, but doesn't quite pull it off - not to say it doesn't have a go.
I love Steve Coogan just as much as the next Partridge fan, however, in The Alibi, Coogan has to play a suave, quick-thinking tough guy - a far cry from a DJ from Norwich. This is where it stumbles a bit. The Alibi isn't funny enough to be a comedy, dramatic enough to be a drama or action-packed enough to be an action flick. It sort of borrows from all genres and hopes the end result will be okay.
And it is... okay. It's not the greatest film of its kind, but it's definitely not the worst. All the pieces fit together at the end and if you can see Steve Coogan out of a knitted jumper and slugging it out with street punks in a dingy back-street American bar, then you're half way to finding some enjoyment in it.