Foolproof
Encyclopedia
Foolproof is a 2003
Canadian
heist film
directed by William Phillips
and starring Ryan Reynolds
, David Suchet
, Kristin Booth, Joris Jarsky, and James Allodi. It was the first attempt by a Canadian studio to create a heist movie, in the same vein as Ocean's Eleven
. The film was a major financial failure and received mostly mediocre reviews.
The movie was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
, and produced by Alliance Atlantis
Communications and Ego Film Arts and released theatrically on October 3, 2003, by Odeon Films in Canada and Momentum Pictures
of the United Kingdom
.
In Canada, it was released in 204 theatres, more than any other movie in the past. Under Telefilm Canada
rules stating the movie producers must have a good script and firm distribution deals to get a grant of more than C$
1,000,000, Telefilm granted Foolproof C$
3,400,000. The entire budget was C$
7,800,000.
various targets. They do not actually execute these heists, preferring to simply simulate them.
All is fine until a famous criminal, Leo Gillete (Suchet), steals the trio's plans to burglarize a jewelry company and accomplishes the heist. He then blackmail
s the group into designing and executing a plan to steal $20 million in bonds from a bank. Tension escalates within the group as Rob befriends Leo, while Kevin and Sam attempt to hinder his plans.
7,800,000 budget, the movie grossed in Canada slightly less than C$
460,000 and grossed virtually nothing in the US, where it was released direct-to-video
.
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
heist film
Heist film
A heist film is a film that has an intricate plot woven around a group of people trying to steal something. Versions with dominant or prominent comic elements are often called caper movies. They could be described as the analogues of caper stories in film history...
directed by William Phillips
William Phillips (director)
William Phillips is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science Degree, William Phillips studied film at Ryerson University. Phillips then ran a film production company entitled Grandview Products and worked on the...
and starring Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
, David Suchet
David Suchet
David Suchet, CBE, is an English actor, known for his work on British television. He is recognised for his RTS- and BPG award-winning performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 2001 British TV mini-drama The Way We Live Now, alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Paloma Baeza, and a 1991 British Academy...
, Kristin Booth, Joris Jarsky, and James Allodi. It was the first attempt by a Canadian studio to create a heist movie, in the same vein as Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 American comedy-crime caper and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. The film was...
. The film was a major financial failure and received mostly mediocre reviews.
The movie was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and produced by Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. was a Toronto-based media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon and Sydney.Alliance Atlantis was acquired by Canwest...
Communications and Ego Film Arts and released theatrically on October 3, 2003, by Odeon Films in Canada and Momentum Pictures
Momentum Pictures
Momentum Pictures , an Alliance Films company, is one of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland and releases approximately 20 theatrical films a year, with several stv releases....
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In Canada, it was released in 204 theatres, more than any other movie in the past. Under Telefilm Canada
Telefilm Canada
Telefilm Canada or Téléfilm Canada is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Canada.It is the primary federal cultural agency dedicated to the development and promotion of the Canadian audiovisual industry....
rules stating the movie producers must have a good script and firm distribution deals to get a grant of more than C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
1,000,000, Telefilm granted Foolproof C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
3,400,000. The entire budget was C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
7,800,000.
Plot
The movie centres around a group of friends: Kevin (played by Reynolds), Sam (Booth) and Rob (Jarsky). They play a game, known as "Foolproof", in which they create working plans to infiltrate and burgleBurglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
various targets. They do not actually execute these heists, preferring to simply simulate them.
All is fine until a famous criminal, Leo Gillete (Suchet), steals the trio's plans to burglarize a jewelry company and accomplishes the heist. He then blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
s the group into designing and executing a plan to steal $20 million in bonds from a bank. Tension escalates within the group as Rob befriends Leo, while Kevin and Sam attempt to hinder his plans.
Cast
- Ryan ReynoldsRyan ReynoldsRyan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
as Kevin - Kristin Booth as Sam
- Joris JarskyJoris JarskyJoris Jarsky , also known as Joris Jorsky, is a Canadian stage, film and television actor who has received recognition for being a versatile actor, and is known for his role as Marty Strickland in the series Vampire High....
as Rob - Sean SullivanSean SullivanSean Patrick Sullivan is an attorney, a retired submarine commander and was commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Base New London...
as Stan - Tara SloneTara SloneTara Slone is a Canadian rock vocalist.Born in Montreal, Quebec, and raised in Nova Scotia, Slone began pursuing classical voice training at the age of 12 with the goal of becoming an opera singer. At the age of 18, she attended Concordia University to pursue a degree in music...
as Maggie - Soo GaraySoo GaraySoo Garay is a Canadian actress born in Toronto, Canada. She is best remembered for playing Dr. Claire Davison on the TV series Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal.-Biography:...
as Hamish Receptionist - William House as Stanley Q. Hamish
- Wai Choy as Harry
- James AllodiJames AllodiJames Allodi is a Canadian actor, writer and director.-Career:James Allodi earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a Major in Film, from New York University. Since then, the writer, director, and actor has amassed an impressive resume of stage, television and film credits...
as Detective Mason - MifAnthony J. MifsudAnthony J. Mifsud is a Maltese-born Canadian actor, singer and songwriter. He performs professionally under the moniker Mif.Mif began his entertainment career as the front man and vocalist for the award-winning Canadian hard rock/heavy metal musical group Slash Puppet , originally under the stage...
as Kenny - Duff MacDonald as Harlon
- David SuchetDavid SuchetDavid Suchet, CBE, is an English actor, known for his work on British television. He is recognised for his RTS- and BPG award-winning performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 2001 British TV mini-drama The Way We Live Now, alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Paloma Baeza, and a 1991 British Academy...
as Leo Gillette - David HewlettDavid HewlettDavid Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
as Lawrence Yeager - Laura Catalano as Sandi
- Philip Craig as Albert Humphrey
Reception
The movie was a major financial failure. Despite its C$Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
7,800,000 budget, the movie grossed in Canada slightly less than C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
460,000 and grossed virtually nothing in the US, where it was released direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
.