Fakers (2004)

Faking it has never been so good.

Starring: Matthew Rhys, Kate Ashfield, Tom Chambers, Tony Haygarth, Art Malik, Rula Lenska, Bruno Castra, Ilaria D'Elia, Sam Mancuso, Dominique Ventura, Jonjo O'Neill, Larry Lamb, Stephen Greif, Félicité du Jeu, Edward Hibbert, Paul Clayton, Jonathan Cecil, Paul Lacoux, David Florez, Peter Barnes, Sally Mates, Sarah Paul, David Henry, Angela Bradley

Director: Richard Janes

Running Time: 86 minutes

US MPAA rating: N/A
UK BBFC rating: 15
Comedy, Crime

If small-time con artist Nick Edwards (Matthew Rhys) does not come up with the £50,000 he owes to slick crimelord Foster Wright (Art Malik) by Friday, Foster's men are going to get artistic on him with a sledgehammer. Fortunately Nick has stumbled upon a legendary lost work by small-time turn-of-the-century sketch artist Antonio Fraccini (Bruno Castra) - and although it is only worth about £15,000, Nick plans, with the help of cynical Eve (Kate Ashfield), her artist brother Tony (Tom Chambers), and a well-informed cleaner called Phil (Tony Haygarth), to sell forged copies of it to five different London art dealers in such rapid succession that they will not have time to realise that there is more than one sketch in circulation.

Crammed into the relatively short duration of 'Fakers' are several chase sequences, multiple confidence tricks, flashbacks to 1911 Sicily, a courtroom drama, and recurrent discourse on the nature of art and fakery - and its smartly animated credit sequence, plus a furious dash on (and off) London's streets in a Smart car, openly acknowledge a debt to the kind of 1960s comedy crime caper typified by 'The Pink Panther' and

It's Got: Scams, chases, and the nice observation that even a minor work can increase in value if associated with the notoriety of a crime.

It Needs: To focus more on the crime caper, and less on the interminable debates about whether Tony will or will not produce the requisite number of copies in time.

Alternatives: The Italian Job, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Summary: Low-budget artworld scam film that does not come close to passing off as any of the comedy crime capers it imitates. Overall Score: 3 out of 10

Review Date: 26th October 2004

External Links

Official Web Site
Fakers at the IMDB

Comments

1 Comment

"Fakers" is both intriguing and captivating. It takes the viewer on a fast ride that is filled with characters that have depth, personality, and moxie. It was simply intriguing in short with thanks to the beautifully played character of the brother, who's gift becomes the weight which he must bare for the life of a friend. The film is entertaining and offers much more than a "scam", it is a perfect weekend cinema experience.

Comment by:- Heidi Johanningmeier | | 15 November 2004 | ip: logged