It takes a great artist to pull off the perfect con|Sep. 20, 2013|Canada | United States|90 Min.|R
Genre: Comedy;Crime
Description: Crunch Calhoun starts his story with a monologue as he begins a seven-year sentence in a Polish prison, a situation caused by his brother, Nicky Calhoun. A flashback reveals a heist involving the two brothers that went wrong, leading to Nicky’s capture and his eventual betrayal of Crunch. After his release, Crunch works as a motorcycle daredevil alongside his girlfriend Lola and an apprentice named Francie. Meanwhile, Nicky steals a painting by Georges Seurat with the help of a partner, whom he later double-crosses. The partner then threatens Crunch to get information on Nicky’s whereabouts.
Crunch soon reconnects with an old colleague, “Uncle” Paddy, and informs him that he’s ready to return to work. At Paddy’s place, Crunch and Francie unexpectedly encounter Nicky. Paddy explains that a valuable historical book needs to be stolen from a Customs warehouse in Canada and delivered to a buyer’s middleman in Detroit. The job promises a payout of over a million dollars, so they agree to take it. Crunch insists on bringing in Guy de Cornet, an old partner skilled in forgery, to assist with the plan.
Cornet creates an exact replica of the book, which Crunch smuggles through the Canadian border hidden inside a peculiar piece of art. When the police impound the art as part of the plan, Crunch ensures it’s stored in the same facility as the historical book. Meanwhile, Cornet, posing as an art authentication expert, enters the facility, swaps the real book with the forgery, and hides the original book within Crunch’s art piece. Once cleared by Canadian authorities, Crunch reclaims the art piece containing the stolen book.
As the team prepares to deliver the book to the buyer, Nicky convinces Crunch to keep the original and create multiple forgeries to sell to different buyers simultaneously, multiplying their earnings. However, they face a challenge when Cornet reveals that creating convincing forgeries capable of passing tests like carbon dating and expert scrutiny would require $750,000. After some negotiation, the team agrees to contribute their shares, and Crunch covers the remaining amount. They agree to avoid contact until the transaction is complete a month later.
Cast director: Jonathan Sobol
Cast actor: Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon, Jay Baruchel, Kenneth Welsh, Chris Diamantopoulos, Katheryn Winnick, Jason Jones, Terence Stamp, Devon Bostick, Karyn Dwyer
Original name: The Art of the Steal