Hey folks, Valkor here. Things are looking kind of quiet around
here at TOV. And I'll actually be using that to my advantage by
settling down with a film or two until things start to pick up
again. And believe me there's never a shortage of films around
these parts. The latest to hit my DVD player is a bit out of left
field. I normally don't read the synopsis when I pop a film in
the player - I simply go with it. And I will say this, I'm glad
I didn't when I put in "The Con Artist" because had I done so,
I don't think I would have enjoyed the film as much as I did.
But don't let that dissuade you from picking it up because it's
a mighty fine piece of work.
The Con Artist centers on Vince (Rossif Sutherland), fresh out the clink and lookin to get his shit together. However it would seem his ex-boss Kranski (played by Donald Sutherland) isn't going to let him off the hook so easy. Just before his capture, Vince dumped Kranski's money and now Kranski wants to be paid back in full. So to help get back the lost cash, Vince risks his parole to help Kranski steal some cars. While on his way to pick up his boss, he nearly runs over Belinda (Rebecca Romijn), who wasn't paying attention anyway. But in missing Belinda he hits her car. In lieu of not calling the cops or getting tangled in an insurance mess, Vince offers his services to fix her car. While at the body shop, Belinda wanders into a backroom and happens upon some crazy artwork - basically a bunch of junk parts welded together created by Vince. Did I forget to mention that Belinda is an arts dealer? Yea she's an arts dealer and she's just found one amazing discovery, which her clients will most assuredly like – her diamond in the rough if you will.
So here we have a little play on words with the title, ya? The Con Artist? Get it? Let me break it down to the guy on the left who just shrugged his shoulders. Vince is a Con (as in felon) who's also an Artist. Con Artist! Okay, now he gets it!
Moving on, Vince is currently caught between two worlds – one where he's thieving cars for his former boss and the other where he plays artist extraordinaire. On top of it all, he just found love with Belinda's assistant Kristen (Sarah Roemer), but that's about to get all kinds of complicated when she discovers that Vince has actually slept with Belinda. Things get even more complicated when Kranski puts pressure on Vince about the money he should be making, which Vince has been neglecting his thieving duties to pursue a career in the art world. But Vince has a plan that should make both parties very happy. And what about Kristen?
The film has a touch of a romantic comedy about it, so yea he and Kristen'll be just fine. Now Belinda And Kranski however... not so sure. And with that I say let's hit up the TOV Breakdown!
The Good:
The Con Artist is a light comedy with an interesting story to tell. The plot's straightforward, with a nice twist at the end. Nothing to hold your breath over, but everything fits together quite nicely. Overall the film is very entertaining. Rossif puts on one hell of a performance as rough and rugged Vince; quite believable when he's out of his element when tossed in with the artists. And I was quite surprised to see Donald Sutherland (though I shouldn't since his name is on the box art). He looks freakin good and does what he does best, which is lookin kinda somber but also being deliciously clever. Standout actor goes to Sarah Roemer, who's so adorable and lights up a scene when she's on screen (PerfectView prospect? Absolutely!). Rounding out this section, the film is tightly paced with nary a slowdown, some nice action and a decent sex scene involving Rebecca Romijn, though it would have been nice had she shown a little boob.
The Bad:
There wasn't enough Pogue (Russell Peters) popping in on Vince. It's understandable considering how the film ends, but it would have increased the laughs a touch.
The Ugly:
N/A
Come June 14th when The Con Artist is released, you'll definitely wanna add this to your Netflix queue or buy a copy at a dealer near you; it's light fun and very entertaining, I highly recommend it. And out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving The Con Artist 4.5 and its Valkor Viewed, TOV Approved!
