A bit of a pleasant surprise (considering its lack of theatrical release in the NY area), Incognito is a fairly involving drama/thriller involving a disturbed artist who's gotten so entangled in the underworld of art forgery he's never formed an identity of his own...he does a great Rembrandt, but Irene Jacob spots it as a fake, which both infuriates and attracts him...a murder occurs and the pursuit is on, with him trying to clear his name and trying to become a "real" artist...Patric is a little too brooding and pouty, making him hard to like for much of the film (C. Sheen or J. Depp could make him a much more sympathetic "bad" boy), but beautiful location work (widescreen, too -- I saw the laserdisc -- on video it's probably a mess) and the lovely & talented Ms. Jacob make it a surprisingly unique experience...check it out.
42 Reviews
It's Different, But Like The Fake Painting You Know It Could Be Better
ccthemovieman-18 October 2006
Although sometimes way too slow-moving and not as involving as it should have been, this film was almost a "keeper" in my collection.
The story was different, and I liked it, about an artist producing a fake Rembrandt. Jason Patric, an interesting and underrated actor, played the role on the con 'artist,' so to speak. Appealing-looking Irene Jacob, played the female lead. She was likable, unlike Patric's character.
There are some interesting moments in this film, particularly for those who love art. There also are a few nice shots of Jacob that should please most male viewers. Overall, nothing that super but decent and worth a rental. It's different, I'll say that.....but don't expect a lot.
The story was different, and I liked it, about an artist producing a fake Rembrandt. Jason Patric, an interesting and underrated actor, played the role on the con 'artist,' so to speak. Appealing-looking Irene Jacob, played the female lead. She was likable, unlike Patric's character.
There are some interesting moments in this film, particularly for those who love art. There also are a few nice shots of Jacob that should please most male viewers. Overall, nothing that super but decent and worth a rental. It's different, I'll say that.....but don't expect a lot.
first half solid
SnoopyStyle8 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
In London, Harry Donovan (Jason Patric) is arrested for the murder of a Rembrandt owner. The movie flashes back four months earlier. Harry is an art forger in NYC struggling to get his own work noticed. He's approached by three mystery men to paint a Rembrandt for $500k. He goes to Amsterdam to study Rembrandt and decides to fake a lost picture. In Paris, he gets romantic with Marieke van den Broeck (Irène Jacob) who claims to be a student. She unwittingly helps him. However it turns out that she is the pre-eminent Rembrandt expert and she is the only one who won't authenticate his picture.
The movie is solid for the first half. Then the movie suggests that Harry killed the Japanese guy. It makes it impossible to root for Harry. The movie should show the bad guy killing the Japanese dude after Harry leaves right at that point. It's not a worthy mystery to keep if it takes away the rooting interest. Also the court case and everything afterward is too rushed. There is no case against the villain other than the testimony of his co-conspirator. The defense seems to hinge on proving the picture as a fake but that proves nothing about the murder. That would change his motivation but the murder still stands. Once the courtroom scene starts, the movie stops making sense.
The movie is solid for the first half. Then the movie suggests that Harry killed the Japanese guy. It makes it impossible to root for Harry. The movie should show the bad guy killing the Japanese dude after Harry leaves right at that point. It's not a worthy mystery to keep if it takes away the rooting interest. Also the court case and everything afterward is too rushed. There is no case against the villain other than the testimony of his co-conspirator. The defense seems to hinge on proving the picture as a fake but that proves nothing about the murder. That would change his motivation but the murder still stands. Once the courtroom scene starts, the movie stops making sense.
Pleasant surprise
ruuk4 November 2006
I just saw this piece on Czech TV. Although it was somewhat spoiled by translation, it caught my attention from the beginning till the finale. The cooperation of editing and screenplay is very good, it made me feel like watching some James Bond movies ... except this one was based on art, of course. I also loved the pace of this pleasantly surprising film, it flew with no significant faults. There are many films on TV in our country and majority of them are pure crap. Especially when you see them on midnight hour. This one was really pleasant and I am glad I spent my time with it.
7/10 Really watchable !
7/10 Really watchable !
Upscale Brit Crime Thriller
rmax30482314 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
It's not as bad as I'd expected. It's one of those British crime dramas in which people walk around in Saville Row suits, visit Paris and Spain at will, and drive Jaguars -- and the plot centers around a fake Rembrandt painted by Jason Patric, who is double crossed by a couple of co-conspirators and aided by art expert Irene Jacob.
The sociologist Dean Maccannel, in his book "The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class", has a delightful anecdote about a group of young American tourists in the Louvre or the Prado or someplace, noticing that a number of paintings were designated as having been executed by P. ignotus, Latin for "painter unknown." The kids loved P. Ignotus's work, rushing from hanging to hanging, exclaiming, "Oh, here's another one by Ignotus!" This has nothing to do with the movie unless I want to squeeze it in by saying that I was reminded of Maccannel's story by an argument the fakers are having near the beginning of the film. The production of this fake has taken a long time and Patric has not signed it as Rembrandt van Rijn. The others (who are supposed to be art experts) want him to sign it so they can be sure they'll palm it off as the real thing. But Patric knows (as they should) that not every artist signs every one of his works, Rembrandt included. Without the signature it is less likely to be obviously faked. (I think Michelangelo signed only one of his works, La Pieta, although flamboyantly.) It's kind of interesting to watch Patric fake the painting. Looks convincing enough to me, and I once won a prize for window painting in the 8th grade. The rest of the movie -- with the thieves and murderers in pursuit of Patric and Jacobs -- is kind of routine, with one or two scenes very redolent of Hitchcock. But there's nothing spectacularly WRONG with it. It simply doesn't seem too original and hasn't much in the way of sparkle.
Except for Irene Jacob, the art expert who falls for Jason Patric for reasons that escape me because he looks quite ordinary. SHE doesn't though. I think it was Anthony Burgess who remarked of a chapter in James Joyce's Ulysses that "it may be gibberish but it's English gibberish." Something like that could be said of Jacob's face. She has even features but they are distinctly French even features. She has deep unripe-olive eyes, is not glamorized in any way, but is nevertheless striking, like the girl in a senior high school class that was only available to the captain of the football team. She has a slender modelesque figure with matching breasts. Badham, the director, is tasteful enough to have her disrobe on camera.
The film ends in a trial which is pretty tense and enjoyable, although not in the slightest believable. On trial for murder, Patric has a chance to prove his innocence by reproducing the faked Rembrandt in court, which he can do in a jiffy. One afternoon, in fact. He is well on his way to succeeding, to the dismay of the prosecution and the satisfaction of his counsel, when he stops, throws his palette down, and refuses to go on because "Only Rembrandt can paint Rembrandt." Faking someone else's painting hasn't bothered him a whit before and, man, does this epiphany come at the wrong time.
No matter. It's kind of enjoyable. Worth watching if it comes up but not worth working for.
The sociologist Dean Maccannel, in his book "The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class", has a delightful anecdote about a group of young American tourists in the Louvre or the Prado or someplace, noticing that a number of paintings were designated as having been executed by P. ignotus, Latin for "painter unknown." The kids loved P. Ignotus's work, rushing from hanging to hanging, exclaiming, "Oh, here's another one by Ignotus!" This has nothing to do with the movie unless I want to squeeze it in by saying that I was reminded of Maccannel's story by an argument the fakers are having near the beginning of the film. The production of this fake has taken a long time and Patric has not signed it as Rembrandt van Rijn. The others (who are supposed to be art experts) want him to sign it so they can be sure they'll palm it off as the real thing. But Patric knows (as they should) that not every artist signs every one of his works, Rembrandt included. Without the signature it is less likely to be obviously faked. (I think Michelangelo signed only one of his works, La Pieta, although flamboyantly.) It's kind of interesting to watch Patric fake the painting. Looks convincing enough to me, and I once won a prize for window painting in the 8th grade. The rest of the movie -- with the thieves and murderers in pursuit of Patric and Jacobs -- is kind of routine, with one or two scenes very redolent of Hitchcock. But there's nothing spectacularly WRONG with it. It simply doesn't seem too original and hasn't much in the way of sparkle.
Except for Irene Jacob, the art expert who falls for Jason Patric for reasons that escape me because he looks quite ordinary. SHE doesn't though. I think it was Anthony Burgess who remarked of a chapter in James Joyce's Ulysses that "it may be gibberish but it's English gibberish." Something like that could be said of Jacob's face. She has even features but they are distinctly French even features. She has deep unripe-olive eyes, is not glamorized in any way, but is nevertheless striking, like the girl in a senior high school class that was only available to the captain of the football team. She has a slender modelesque figure with matching breasts. Badham, the director, is tasteful enough to have her disrobe on camera.
The film ends in a trial which is pretty tense and enjoyable, although not in the slightest believable. On trial for murder, Patric has a chance to prove his innocence by reproducing the faked Rembrandt in court, which he can do in a jiffy. One afternoon, in fact. He is well on his way to succeeding, to the dismay of the prosecution and the satisfaction of his counsel, when he stops, throws his palette down, and refuses to go on because "Only Rembrandt can paint Rembrandt." Faking someone else's painting hasn't bothered him a whit before and, man, does this epiphany come at the wrong time.
No matter. It's kind of enjoyable. Worth watching if it comes up but not worth working for.
pretty cool, pretty good
devinmci17 June 1999
Well, not technically sound all the way through, but for 2am on HBO, this is quite a good little movie. Patric seems a little lost, and the whole thing with his father isn't done very well, but Jacob is always nice to watch, and there were enough interesting parts and nice shots, to keep one's attention. In any event, watching those paintings was pretty cool. Pretty good. All in all, a rather pleasant movie.
Acceptable Art Forgery thriller Starring Jason Patric
dfwforeignbuff9 January 2010
Harry Donovan is an art forger who paints fake Rembrandt picture for $500,000. The girl he meets & gets into bed with in Paris, Marieke turns out to be an arts expert. Harry's clients are using to check the counterfeit picture he painted. I knew this was going going to be a class A film but it does give a good the peek into the world of Art, Art History & Art Forgery. Anyone who considers themselves curious about Rembr&t, his place in the art world, & the art world's place in history will enjoy this movie. There are some interesting moments in this film, particularly for those who love art. The movie is actually much more complicated that the short summary I have provided. Jordan Katz's screenplay is full of authoritative, fascinating facts about how art is variously made, copied, authenticated & exposed as fake. 'Incognito' could serve as a handy tool for teaching courses in the detection of art forgery. Directed by John Badham, a Hollywood hack with a decent commercial track record (Saturday Night Fever, Short Circuit, War Games, Stakeout) Jason Patrick is really good in his role Patric is believable in his role as a suffering artist & skillfully shifts from unlikable to sympathetic. ; Irene Jacob is also good as his girlfriend (she is known for her films with Krzysztof Kieslowski) Rod Steiger plays a small role but still has the staying power of the great actor we know. The romance with Jacobs, who plays, Marieke van den Broeck, reminds us of a "39 Steps" Hitchcock kind of way. The European locales (Dutch, Spanish,Parisian) are very much like paintings & the director & cinematographer did a good job here. Too bad the DVD transfer was so poor. The film is well-directed. I found the DVD transfer poor & grainy etc. I guess in 1997 transfers were not as good as now. The movie looked pretty poor on my big screen HDTV. I think this film had limited release fared poorly & was sent right to DVD. Really I don't know why as it really a pretty acceptable thriller.
Not bad, but holds no surprises.
Hey_Sweden18 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Jason Patric plays Harry Donovan, a talented painter whose original work won't sell. However, he flourishes in another way because he has an uncanny knack for reproducing paintings by legendary names. He buys trouble for himself when he agrees to be part of a scheme to sell a "Rembrandt". For his time and efforts, he will earn a cool $500,000. But his partners turn out to be classically shady individuals, and, with a noted art expert (sexy, enchanting French actress Irene Jacob) in tow, he must go on the run when framed for a killing.
"Incognito" is more genuinely interesting in its first half, although it may appeal more to art lovers and art students than a general audience. It IS fascinating to see Harry make tons of preparations for his "masterpiece", including buying rare materials, and then make his art. The film makes great use of its European locations, and is overall pretty entertaining. This viewer wouldn't quite say that it goes off the rails when Harry & Marieke go on the lam and the story turns more conventional, but it sure becomes a lot more familiar.
At the time, this was something of a change of pace for noted filmmaker John Badham (in his final feature project to date), as he'd made mainstream action movies and action-comedies his specialty for approximately a decade and a half. But he makes this material reasonably engrossing, and it's also well sold by an excellent European cast including such names as Thomas Lockyer, Ian Richardson, Simon Chandler, Pip Torrens, Michael Cochrane, and Togo Igawa. Rod Steiger puts in an engaging special appearance as Harry's father, a fellow painter who's disappointed that his son basically wastes his talents. Ian Holm appears uncredited as John. Patric is good in the lead role, but his character may be a matter of taste for viewers: he behaves like a true in-it-for-the-money mercenary, and is not terribly likeable himself. He does have some very amusing dialogue, nonetheless.
All in all, this is a decent combination of travelogue, art discussion / dissection, thriller, and courtroom drama elements. The ending leaves the audience with some sense of satisfaction given the fates of certain individuals.
Six out of 10.
"Incognito" is more genuinely interesting in its first half, although it may appeal more to art lovers and art students than a general audience. It IS fascinating to see Harry make tons of preparations for his "masterpiece", including buying rare materials, and then make his art. The film makes great use of its European locations, and is overall pretty entertaining. This viewer wouldn't quite say that it goes off the rails when Harry & Marieke go on the lam and the story turns more conventional, but it sure becomes a lot more familiar.
At the time, this was something of a change of pace for noted filmmaker John Badham (in his final feature project to date), as he'd made mainstream action movies and action-comedies his specialty for approximately a decade and a half. But he makes this material reasonably engrossing, and it's also well sold by an excellent European cast including such names as Thomas Lockyer, Ian Richardson, Simon Chandler, Pip Torrens, Michael Cochrane, and Togo Igawa. Rod Steiger puts in an engaging special appearance as Harry's father, a fellow painter who's disappointed that his son basically wastes his talents. Ian Holm appears uncredited as John. Patric is good in the lead role, but his character may be a matter of taste for viewers: he behaves like a true in-it-for-the-money mercenary, and is not terribly likeable himself. He does have some very amusing dialogue, nonetheless.
All in all, this is a decent combination of travelogue, art discussion / dissection, thriller, and courtroom drama elements. The ending leaves the audience with some sense of satisfaction given the fates of certain individuals.
Six out of 10.
Relatively Unknown Gem
jcanettis16 January 2005
"Incognito" is one of those gems that you have to dig deep to discover. A relatively unknown movie, I bumped onto it as it was shown on the TV: I started viewing it hoping it to be at least watchable, and I was pleasantly surprised to realize that in fact it was really good.
The story is about a highly talented arts forger (Patrick), who agrees to paint a fake Rembrandt picture for $500,000. However, things get complicated when a girl he sleeps with (Jacob) happens to be one of the experts to judge its authenticity, and she gives the painting thumbs down. As if this were not enough, his employers change their tune with him, and this is when everything turns rather sour...
Jason Patrick is really good in his role; so good in fact, that I re-aligned my overall rating for him completely after this movie (it wasn't that high before that, as you can imagine). Irene Jacob is also good as his girlfriend, while Rod Steiger plays a small role but still manages to remind us of his grand standing. The film is well-directed, with the pace running smoothly; neither unnecessarily fast, nor boringly slow. All in all, a surprisingly good film: 8/10.
The story is about a highly talented arts forger (Patrick), who agrees to paint a fake Rembrandt picture for $500,000. However, things get complicated when a girl he sleeps with (Jacob) happens to be one of the experts to judge its authenticity, and she gives the painting thumbs down. As if this were not enough, his employers change their tune with him, and this is when everything turns rather sour...
Jason Patrick is really good in his role; so good in fact, that I re-aligned my overall rating for him completely after this movie (it wasn't that high before that, as you can imagine). Irene Jacob is also good as his girlfriend, while Rod Steiger plays a small role but still manages to remind us of his grand standing. The film is well-directed, with the pace running smoothly; neither unnecessarily fast, nor boringly slow. All in all, a surprisingly good film: 8/10.
Quite surprising
sveknu13 May 2005
This is a typical B-thriller that airs on a Friday night. Because of that, my expectations for the movie weren't exactly huge. But I really felt enjoyed when watching this, it was in fact quite exciting. The story about a an art forger who fakes a Rembrandt picture is a quite good one, and was a relieving difference from most other B-thrillers. Although I doubt that the way he fakes the painting is possible in real life, it was very well made for this film. Remember, it's only a movie. The acting is mediocre. Not good, but not bad either. That doesn't matter much here, because it's the story that makes this a pretty good movie. The film takes place in Europe, something I liked for a change.
Fails to Deliver
davegering24 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This movie has art forgery, romance and evasion from the law. It is the type of movie that I should like, but after a promising start, it fails to deliver very well on any of the themes.
The forgery aspect is handled fairly well, although the writers seem not to have heard of diffraction spectroscopy or any of the other post-xray methods in use which would probably have detected the forgery without difficulty. This is the sort of oversight one could forgive if the other story elements were handled better. As Cecil B. DeMille once observed when a plot hole was pointed out to him, nobody will notice if you keep the movie going, because "you can't see the teeth on a buzzsaw." That is only true, however, when the saw is turned on and the teeth are in motion.
In this film, the romance never feels right, and only serves to slow down the action. And when the buzzsaw is stopped, you can see the teeth.
Similarly, the evasion segments amount to little more than darting out of windows and ducking into alleyways. Never very credible, it finally leads to a courtroom sequence which is pure rubbish, and a fairytale conclusion which would have embarrassed Walt Disney.
I wanted to like this movie, and I tried to like it. Unfortunately, it failed to help me.
The forgery aspect is handled fairly well, although the writers seem not to have heard of diffraction spectroscopy or any of the other post-xray methods in use which would probably have detected the forgery without difficulty. This is the sort of oversight one could forgive if the other story elements were handled better. As Cecil B. DeMille once observed when a plot hole was pointed out to him, nobody will notice if you keep the movie going, because "you can't see the teeth on a buzzsaw." That is only true, however, when the saw is turned on and the teeth are in motion.
In this film, the romance never feels right, and only serves to slow down the action. And when the buzzsaw is stopped, you can see the teeth.
Similarly, the evasion segments amount to little more than darting out of windows and ducking into alleyways. Never very credible, it finally leads to a courtroom sequence which is pure rubbish, and a fairytale conclusion which would have embarrassed Walt Disney.
I wanted to like this movie, and I tried to like it. Unfortunately, it failed to help me.
Underrated
artie41228 December 2000
Yes, the production values of INCOGNITO (especially the gauzy photography) smack of "B" Level production, this film shines for a few reasons, most notably the peek into the world of Art, Art History and Art Forgery. Anyone who considers themselves curious about both Rembrandt, his place in the art world, and the art world's place in history will enjoy this movie. This movie's depiction of the steps in the creation of a counterfeit masterpiece are possibly the best half-hour of film I've ever seen. The performances are excellent, and it deserved better than Direct to Video. Especially good are the performances of Rod Steiger, Jason Patric and Irene Jacob.
Seen it twice. Enjoyed it twice.
=G=20 March 2004
An English language foreign intrigue film, "Incognito" sticks Jason Patric in the spotlight as a forger of classical paintings with an attitude who is consigned to paint a Rembrandt while having to juggle pigments and palettes, father/son issues, a lovely art expert (Jacob), a bunch of art dealer/fences, a murder, and eventually a court of law. Though Patric's limited acting ability is evident throughout, there is sufficient material in this film to make it interesting if not engrossing. You'll get to see how a forgery might be done, some good European shooting locations, and Jacob topless while the film examines issues with some depth such as why a forger can't make a legit buck when he paints better than the old master he's forging, etc. Probably a more worthy film than its obvious absence of accolades would suggest, "Incognito" should prove and enjoyable watch for fans of the players and anyone with an interest in classical painting. (B)
incredibly frustrating movie
negeati17 February 2000
Warning: Spoilers
This movie made me very frustrated. It is a well acted movie, especially by Irene Jacob, but even Jason Patric does a an OK job. The villain is quite general but well conceived.
The biggest problem is the script, which is very intelligent. So why is this a problem? Because no matter how intelligent it is, it still has huge holes. For example, in the beginning Harry (Jason Patric) is seen running from the police on TV. Was there a cameraman present? And why is the TV black-and-white? Then after him and Marieke know each better (if you get my drift), she says that she has to leave in a hurry, yet she is not hurrying. Also, why does Alastair (Thomas Lockyer) kill his Korean partner? Wasn't it enough to accuse Harry of theft? Finally I saved the worst for last: They (Harry and Marieke) are in a London suburbs and Harry uses the phone. Then Marieke who believed herself kidnapped locks Harry in the telephone booth. She locks him from the outside!!!!What is the logic in that? I can understand the lock to be on the inside (Harry's side) but on the outside?!
Yet if you'd like to see a well structured, yet flawed thriller, see "Incognito". It has a boring beginning, an exciting middle and an utterly unsatisfying ending.
5/10
The biggest problem is the script, which is very intelligent. So why is this a problem? Because no matter how intelligent it is, it still has huge holes. For example, in the beginning Harry (Jason Patric) is seen running from the police on TV. Was there a cameraman present? And why is the TV black-and-white? Then after him and Marieke know each better (if you get my drift), she says that she has to leave in a hurry, yet she is not hurrying. Also, why does Alastair (Thomas Lockyer) kill his Korean partner? Wasn't it enough to accuse Harry of theft? Finally I saved the worst for last: They (Harry and Marieke) are in a London suburbs and Harry uses the phone. Then Marieke who believed herself kidnapped locks Harry in the telephone booth. She locks him from the outside!!!!What is the logic in that? I can understand the lock to be on the inside (Harry's side) but on the outside?!
Yet if you'd like to see a well structured, yet flawed thriller, see "Incognito". It has a boring beginning, an exciting middle and an utterly unsatisfying ending.
5/10
Worth watching
Alan-402 November 1998
"You don't like people," says Marieke to Harry Donovan, challenging him to name one counter-example. It is no surprise; Harry is not very likable himself. The angry-but-brilliant artist is a cliché, but Jason Patric makes it work. His character finds some sort of healing in his rendering his father into a fake Rembrandt he makes in the movie, at the same time melding his relationship to his father into his own psyche. I would like to have seen more art and art commentary in this movie, but you can learn a lot from it.
Overlook the 4 rating
arglebargle-4789317 March 2023
It's so hard to decide on watching movies that get a 4 rating on IMDB. Sometimes they are cheesy, low-budget indie films with stilted acting, absurd plot, etc. On the other hand, they can be decent movies that somehow didn't capture the public's attention. On the other hand, I've been seduced by scores that led me to such wretched wastes of time like "Gone Girl" (with implausible plot and absurd characters) and "Oldboy" (fer crissake, why was this awful film made twice?).
"Incognito" is about a man who forges a painting that was lost to history. Due to twists, the forger is assumed to be stealing his own creation and has been framed for murder. The forging sequence is immensely fascinating and the writers took very good care to make sure it was realistic.
I think the film's downside is that Patric's Harry Donovan is a bit of a jerk. I get that. I don't particularly like jerks in movies. However, he's at the top of a criminal field (forger) and he knows it. I think Patric plays the character for what he's worth. If I'm being honest, it's a good portrayal and one that has to be accepted.
The other downside is how the murder and framing are played out. It's simply awkward. I'd personally have upped this a point if that plot angle could have been handled better. (This is not a spoiler: Donovan's arrest for murder begins the film.)
If you like drama and action films (and I will add that Irène Jacob is very easy on the eyes) but you're put off by the IMDB score, give it a try. It's a decent watch.
"Incognito" is about a man who forges a painting that was lost to history. Due to twists, the forger is assumed to be stealing his own creation and has been framed for murder. The forging sequence is immensely fascinating and the writers took very good care to make sure it was realistic.
I think the film's downside is that Patric's Harry Donovan is a bit of a jerk. I get that. I don't particularly like jerks in movies. However, he's at the top of a criminal field (forger) and he knows it. I think Patric plays the character for what he's worth. If I'm being honest, it's a good portrayal and one that has to be accepted.
The other downside is how the murder and framing are played out. It's simply awkward. I'd personally have upped this a point if that plot angle could have been handled better. (This is not a spoiler: Donovan's arrest for murder begins the film.)
If you like drama and action films (and I will add that Irène Jacob is very easy on the eyes) but you're put off by the IMDB score, give it a try. It's a decent watch.
My all times favorite
ashper24 May 2001
I have seen this movie more times than any other. There is something unusual about this movie: you like it but can not really figure out what exactly makes you feel that way. There is suspense and drama here. The direction is good and so is the part played by the actors. The story grips you almost from the beginning until the last scene. The movie lets you roam around the inner circles of art and forgery. Probably all this adds up to make it a movie that one enjoys watching, any time, all the time.
OK movie about a fake painting
movie_ape10 December 2020
Average film with a rather unlikely protagonist, both the character and actor, and the supporting cast are annoying and unlikable as well. The plot is reasonable, a master forger forges a Rembrandt for a group of ass-hats, gets into a scuffle and then enters a trial in the UK.
It's all a bit underwhelming really. I liked the research and painting segments of the movie, but the rest of it wasn't too enjoyable.
5/10 average flick with nice imagery of painting.
It's all a bit underwhelming really. I liked the research and painting segments of the movie, but the rest of it wasn't too enjoyable.
5/10 average flick with nice imagery of painting.
Better than most of the junk out there
mikeyjak5 December 1998
I was VERY pleasantly surprised by this one. Its dialogue on the true meaning of great art is truly interesting, even if simplistic (but not relative to most films out there).
I thought Patric was pretty good, but it's the script itself that does most of the work.
The scenery and imagery is also fantastic.
I thought Patric was pretty good, but it's the script itself that does most of the work.
The scenery and imagery is also fantastic.
It could have been better
Marcos-31 February 1999
This film could have captured some charm from its locations (London, Amsterdam, Paris). However there is a lack of thriller atmosphere through it all. It works against any possible involvement with the audience. At its end, a simple feeling of void remains. Irène Jacob does not fit in at all. She deserves nothing less than Kielowsky who is one-off director in our present days. Jason Patric is nothing but a devilishly handsome guy. Acting? The direction did not allow them to.
Very Clever, Very Entertaining
fr8nk14 July 2009
You are roped into this movie within the first few minutes. It is very clever, entertaining, historical and informative. The acting is superb. I've watched this movie four times so far and would watch it again tonight to share it with someone special. My wife never watches a movie more than once but has viewed this one three times. Her comment was that there is something about this movie that makes you want to see it again.
They should have eliminated the scene with the telephone booth because the lock on the outside of the booth made no sense at all. I don't know what they were thinking. But if you can overlook this one flaw you are in for a real treat. Ignore the few pans above and trust the people that gave it good reviews. My recommendation is that you buy the movie instead of renting it because you will want to watch it again and again. By the way, this is the first movie I have ever been tempted to submit a review for.
They should have eliminated the scene with the telephone booth because the lock on the outside of the booth made no sense at all. I don't know what they were thinking. But if you can overlook this one flaw you are in for a real treat. Ignore the few pans above and trust the people that gave it good reviews. My recommendation is that you buy the movie instead of renting it because you will want to watch it again and again. By the way, this is the first movie I have ever been tempted to submit a review for.
not deep, but interesting
Bob717 June 1999
This is slightly better than a good TV movie. The grand art forgery swindle game is interesting, but Jason Patrick is rather irritating with his big mouth and surly attitude toward everyone, sort of like the tempermental artist, and it gets a bit tiresome. The plot has a few good twists, and if you're not expecting the world it's an Ok flick. >
Total nonsense.......
merklekranz22 January 2009
Art forgery cloned into a James Bond" movie, with an utterly bad script. Coincidences abound, and everything seems totally contrived, like they started out with the ridiculous court scene, and then tried to make everything fit leading up to it. To think that a judge and jury would sit "spellbound" for hours on end watching Jason Patric paint a "masterpiece" in an afternoon is beyond ridiculous. And speaking of Jason Patric, his character is so unlikable that the only one to sympathize with is the long suffering audience. Rod Steiger is totally wasted, and so was my hour and forty eight minutes, watching this total nonsense. - Merk
This is the absolute best movie EVER made
chris_severn23 January 2005
I only say that because it's true. I have seen literally thousands of movies, this is the best one i have ever seen. i recommend this to anyone who asks me what my favorite movie is, and they all come back and ask me where they can buy it. this movie takes drama, thrills, and even art to a completely new level. i cannot believe this movie hasn't won the most awards in the history of film. I am serious, if you haven't seen this movie, go get it immediately. this movie is the absolute winner of every category in my book. i remember seeing this for the first time when it was on HBO in 1999. I must have watched it 20 times that week. i went and bought the VHS tape and when the DVD came out i had it immediately. this movie is amazing.
An unforgivable, incomprehensible waste of Ms. Jacob's talents.
Rohmer16 September 1998
Worse than the typical afternoon dramas shown on America's Lifetime Network, this makes one suspect Irene Jacob is nothing without Kieslowski. How did the winner of the Cannes prize for 'Veronique' get anywhere near this pathetic script? Both Emmanuelle Beart and Jacob should stick with French scripts that draw upon their prodigious acting talent, rather than exploit them as female 'scenery.' English is not the medium for Irene to accomplish this, as all her ability apparently is funneled into pronouncing the words correctly. Unforgivable.
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