Foolproof

Customer Reviews:

Great movie.......2007-09-02

If you like action,intelligent,and humor in a movie you will like this one. It also is unpredictable and your not sure how it will end. I hate when people tell about the whole movie and I wont.But this movie is worth seeing.

Fakeout.......2007-08-10

You know how once in awhile you hadn't heard of a movie and you rent it and low and behold it pleasantly surprises you? This is one of those movies. To me it was a sleeper I was not familiar with at all. As one reviewer mentioned it has some of the high tech gadgetry and pizzaz of "The Italian Job" remake. All-in-all fun really. Good cast, nice sets and effects, and fair music. I think the teaming of Ryan Reynolds, Kristin Booth, and Joris Jarsky is good. I would have liked to seen either Kevin J. O'Connor or Curtis Armstrong play the same part Jarsky did. I think a little more comedy would have made the movie even better.

A group of three friends play a game of pretend heisting valuable items from real places. When they are tailed and their plans stolen and used, things get dicey. The police investigate them and they have to be on their toes. Meanwhile the criminal mastermind that stole their plans wants them to do another job. I highly recommend the movie. I enjoyed it so much I ordered a used DVD here for around seven with shipping. You can get it new for around ten to fifteen dollars.

Committing Crime For Dummies.......2007-04-11

You can tell what kind of role Ryan Reynold's is playing by getting a look at his facial hair. Stubble? Beard? Goatee? Why, then he's probably a ruff-n-buff take-no-guff rumbler, perhaps a cop or mercenary do-gooder. Clean shaven with a smarmy grin? Why, then he's probably a fast-talkin' slick-n-sassy womanizer who is struggling with personal demons in spite of his uber-confident exterior.

"Foolproof" is unique, not just because it was the most expensive and most widely released Canadian film for its time, but also because it showcases Reynolds as an enjoyable mix of both of his time-tested cinema personas. He isn't wholly one or the other. In this case, he is Kevin, an insurance claims investigator who, along with his friends Sam (Kristin Booth) and Rob (Joris Jarsky), spend their spare time figuring out "foolproof" plans for daring robberies and bold heists.

They don't ever actually plan to DO any of said robberies/heists; these are just brain exercises, you see, ways to expand the mind and flex one's mental muscles. (And here my idea of stretching the brain is doing crossword puzzles on the john.) Unfortunately, the paperwork on their latest project -- a flawless and meticulously crafted diamond caper -- is stolen and used, with all clues pointing back to them. The culprit, a mobster named Leo, recognizes their skill and coerces them into planning and pulling off one last "foolproof" stunt for him.

It's a caper movie on several levels, since Leo is not only taking advantage of but is also manipulating Kevin and his crew, splintering long-honored trusts, watering doubt where it was sown long ago. Kevin, Sam, and Rob do a good job of getting us to believe they have the brainpower to come up with plans where every base is covered, but Leo introduces a human element that makes "foolproof" seem like a contradiction in terms. People aren't as easy to figure out as locks and security alarm systems.

Reynolds pulls off the balance between his frat boy mugging and tough guy frustration quite well, and he's working alongside some other players that, while maybe not mainstream faces, are just as up for the task. The script and the story don't need much help though; this is a story that sort of tells itself, although the twists at the end -- while plausible and delightful -- might come across as a little ludicrous. Still, when you've got three twenty-somethings with desk jobs whose idea of a fun day off is planning high-profile crimes in elaborate detail, well, words like "ludicrous" don't really play into the equation. It's a fun little film, snarky and slick, fast-paced without snags, and equal measures of smart and silly. It may not be as perfectly executed as Kevin and Co.'s criminal plans, but it is just as rewarding.

Well Worth Your Time.......2006-09-28

If you turned an intelligent writer loose on "The Perfect Score" or "Catch That Kid" to gave these traditional heist pictures some "Enemy of the State" flavor and misdirection (and some good dialogue), you would end up with something like "Foolproof".

There is the super secure vault to be cracked by a team of young male and female nonprofessionals. These folks (just slightly older than those in the other two films) have been playing at being robbers; planning and rehearsing elaborate burglary schemes but stopping short of actually putting their plans into action. But a local hood discovers one of their plans and executes it, then threatens to frame them for the crime unless they assist him in pulling off a $20 Million heist.

This is an $8 Million Canadian production, pretty big money for their film industry and almost all of it makes it onto the screen. It actually has a better look than the $80 Million "Enemy of the State" although they cheat a bit and under light almost every scene. The caper itself is pretty ordinary and obviously overused but the misdirection is very convincing, ironically it works best on those most familiar with the conventions of the genre who trap themselves by focusing in on what they think are plot holes.

The group includes Ryan Reynolds, Kristin Booth, and Joris Jarsky; all Canadian and all unknown to me. Booth looked familiar, like either Tyler Layton or Lindy Booth-who played the airhead student secretary on "Relic Hunter". The latter was somewhat correct-Kristin is Lindy's older sister. In the case of "Foolproof" she was the reason for most of my enjoyment. Reynolds and Jarsky are competent and do all that is required of them but Booth's performance cements everything together. There is no interesting scene or sequence in which she does not have a central part. The DVD is probably the way to go as the deleted scenes actually contain funnier jokes than those that make it into the final cut. The rest of the cast is pretty much of the mediocre quality that you find in this type of film no matter the budget. It's not the sort of challenging film that attracts a really talented actor. Had "Foolproof" starred a big name or had an aggressive marketing campaign it could have caught on and made some money-its better than two thirds of heavily promoted films that do make it to the typical megaplex.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

"We're on a heist with Gilligan".......2006-09-05

Foolproof is a fun little heist film starring a cast of B-level actors. Ryan Reynolds is engaging enough as Kevin, the slick and guileful young mastermind. Together with the sexy and athletic Sam (Kristin Booth) and designated techie Rob (Joris Jarsky), they stage complicated heist scenarios. But they do these merely as challenging exercises. They don't actually go thru with them. That is, until they meet Leo "the Touch" Gillette (David Suchet), a gentlemanly thug who blackmails the gang into breaking in and robbing a high-tech security building's vault of its 20 million dollars in unregistered bonds.

Predictably, various tensions and conflicts arise within the group, and then a change of allegiance throws a spanner in the works. Also complicating matters is a persistent police detective (always cheesily trenchcoated) who's keeping a suspicious eye on Kevin. Will Kevin pull off a foolproof scheme that'll keep himself and his friends out of prison and also turn the tables on Gillette?

The twists and turns here are, of course, preresquisite in a heist movie. However, it was still fun watching the backstabbings and switcheroos, double switcheroos, and false jeopardies. Near the end of the film, my head was spinning a bit and I didn't know whose side some of these characters were actually on. Also fun to watch was the intricate execution of the caper, from step one all the way to its culmination, as the crew utilizes a combination of high and low tech methods and tools in carrying out their plan. Foolproof also contains a dose of low key humor, which is well integrated into the storyline.

Ryan Reynolds, compared to his other more wacky roles, is more subdued here as Kevin, and his charm and screen presence elevate this unpretentious caper flick. David Suchet, who is more well-known for portraying Hercule Poirot and for his lead villain role on Executive Decision, is pretty good as the baddie Leo "the Touch," snaky suave and utterly ruthless. I gotta admit I started crushing a bit on Kristin Booth's character, who is willful, brash, steeped into martial arts, and sexy as all get out. Even though she was a tad cross-eyed.

Running at a fast 94 minutes, this surprisingly entertaining movie is an overlooked Canadian gem. It's almost bare bones in its scenes, with no room for excess fluff. This "don't trust what you see" thriller is gripping and most definitely worth a look.

Average customer rating:

Great movie
Fakeout
Committing Crime For Dummies
Well Worth Your Time
"We're on a heist with Gilligan"

Foolproof
Starring: Ryan Reynolds , Kristin Booth , Joris Jarsky , Sean Sullivan (XIV) , and Tara Slone
Director: William Phillips (VIII)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005JMV9