Directed by Philip Martin, and written by Richard D'Ovidio, The Forger (2014) has been met with mostly negative reviews. The story finds a Boston forger/thief, released early from prison to spend time with his ailing son, forced to pull off a Monet forgery and museum heist to repay the crooks that facilitated the bribe to ensure his release. Unlike most films concerning art forgery, this film gives little evidence or glimpses of the forger's abilities before his completing the fake Monet… a small detail, but it makes a difference in terms of plausibility and skill. The museum heist scene is interesting, but too brief. The plot would've benefitted if greater focus had been placed on Art Crime, and less on melodrama. On the plus side, the scenes shot inside the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston are superb, capturing many of the recognizable MFA galleries. The artist hired to capture Claude Monet's painting technique does a good job. John Travolta is good, but miscast as the forger. Christopher Plummer is wonderful and steals the show as the Irish grand dad. The supporting cast is hit or miss, including Abigail Spencer, Jennifer Ehle, The Sheridan, Victor Gojcaj and Boston comedian Steve Sweeney. The film is worthwhile for Art Crime aficionados... just fast forward to the forgery and heist scenes.
Boston, Massachusetts: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
Christopher Plummer: The Forger
: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
: The Forger
: The Forger
John Travolta at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: The Forger
John Travolta as an Art Forger: The Forger
Woman with a Parasol. Claude Monet: The Forger
John Travolta at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: The Forger
John Travolta and Claude Monet: The Forger
Christopher Plummer: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
Christopher Plummer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: The Forger
Woman with a Parasol. Claude Monet: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
John Travolta, Christopher Plummer and an Art Heist: The Forger
John Travolta: The Forger
Christopher Plummer, John Travolta and an Art Heist: The Forger
Directed by Choi Dong-hoon, The Thieves (2012) is the summation of all that is good in a heist film. Although not well known in the United States, The Thieves scored well in Asian markets and is now one of the highest grossing South Korean films ever made. The complicated story starts with an art heist con, and then follows a group of Korean thieves as they team up with a Chinese crew to steal a valuable diamond from a highly guarded casino. The well-written script and close attention to detail, combined with plot twists and fast paced action provide a solid mixture all around. Art theft, safe cracking, high risk free-falls, daring chases, double-crossing and shootouts abound. The whole cast is superb, including Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Hye-soo and Jeon Ji-hyun (Gianna Jun).
