Foolproof

Some people go the gym, some go to the bar, some sit in stocked warehouses devising mastermind plans for cracking safes. This last one is what Kevin (Ryan Reynolds), Samantha (Kristin Booth) and Rob (Joris Jarsky) do in their spare time. And they're actually pretty good at it. Their game is called Foolproof, and the object is to come up with a completely error-free plan for the robbery of banks, jewellers or anything that's tough to crack, really; it's not like they'd ever actually go through with it though. But when professional thief Leo the Touch (a devious David Suchet) steals their plans and executes the flawless robbery of a jewellery store, he uses their stolen ideas and fingerprints to blackmail them into devising and executing an even bigger heist. Executive produced in part by Atom Egoyan, this is one of Cancinema's most assertive forays into the world of blockbuster entertainment. And aside from moments of precociousness, it's not a bad job really. Alanis Morissette's funny man boyfriend Reynolds (Van Wilder) turns in a sensitive and well-timed comedic performance, balanced effectively against Booth's tomboy Samantha, while Jarsky is adept in his role as the squeaky, clever wildcard. The sudden bursts of tension seem starkly out of place in a mostly light-hearted script though. The most tangible form of tension exists between the three friends, when the real tight omnipresent undercurrent should have been felt between the friends and the forceful Leo. The DVD carries two short featurettes: "behind the scenes" and special effects. It also has the theatrical trailer and a handful of humorous outtakes. And resting underneath the DVD in the same case is the packed soundtrack, featuring the Crystal Method, the Dandy Warhols, Sam Roberts, Pilate's kickin' "Into Your Hideout," and the song "Foolproof" (that could have come right off the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack). (Alliance Atlantis)