Robert J. Maxwell Daniel Futterman and Stuart Townsend are raised in an orphanage. They go on to a career as cheerful con men and thieves until reformed by the intervention of a good woman, Kate Bekinsale.I had a feeling it would be a decent, low-key, but successful comedy when one of the orphans is being questioned about his plans for the future. What kind of house would he like to live in? The orphan comes up with a picture of a mansion. Condescending smile from the manager. "But that would cost hundreds of pounds and you're an orphan -- no offense -- and have nothing." "No offense." That piece of PC in a scene taking place in a scene from thirty years ago struck me as an artful touch.I called it "low key" and that's not exactly the case, but neither is it a farce, with everyone shrieking and slipping on banana peels. It's more -- well, "believable" isn't quite the mot juste either. Let's say it adheres to "possibility" about as closely as "The Lavender Hill Mob." The cast work well together. Futterman is the smooth-talking con man half of the team. Townsend is the tinkerer who majored in "the psychology of electronics." He doesn't know how to fix a toaster but he knows how they feel when they break.Futterman, an American, looks the part. He has a long straight nose that overhangs his lips and bisects his features. Townsend is given a bowl haircut and is easily unnerved, which is supposed to make him less attractive to women. Beckinsale of course can see through the shyness to the rabid assemblage of hormones roiling beneath. Beckinsale is appealing too, more than in the dismal "Pearl Harbor." She's wan and fragile, along the lines of Geraldine Chaplain. And any normal dentist would be dazzled by her teeth.It's fast. Sometimes so fast that I lost the track of where the 50 million pounds were. But it is a successful comedy, and its success doesn't depend on teenagers making fools of themselves around a lot of rotting zombies. There's little in the way of pounding percussion. Much of the musical score is from Burt Bacharach's popular and innovative tunes of the 60s. This may turn some people off but I think I got a little high from listening to it.

sveknu I think I have to stop watching English movies. Apart from the James Bond-movies and a small number of comedies, they are usually pure crap. This movie is definitely one of those. The first ten minutes starts out OK, and the movie has potential at this time. Sadly, it doesn't continue in this style at all. The story is about two swindlers who tries to earn a lot of money by tricking people in different ways. None of the ways they do this are funny at all. It's supposed to be a comedy, but personally I didn't laugh one single time during the movie. In addition, the story really sucks, especially because they threw a bit of romance on top of it. Alos, the ending is very bad, and it was just what I had expected because movies like this leave you with no surprises. If you want to see a movie about swindlers, watch "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" instead.

kellyjoehayes After reading some of the comments about this film I just had to express my view. This is one of my favorite films. I admit for some it may be an acquired taste. You'll either love it or hate it. I love it and have recommended it to many of my friends. I lent the video to a friend and she loved it so much she kept showing it to her friends and family and I never got it back. I ended up buying a second copy. Maybe not the best of movies but certainly one you may need to see a couple of times to get the "whole" picture. (and little things like the wallpaper in the guys place). I think the idea and premise is very imaginative. If you like this film you may want to check out Cold Comfort Farm. Another quirky "British humor" movie with Kate Beckinsale.

Cinefila Babis Jez & Dylan are a very diferent pair. Maybe that's why Georgie finds in them a gold mine. Stefan Schuartz's Shooting Fish ( 2001 ) is a funny comedy about two con artists who, without a family, start to "save" for the house of their dreams. Of course, they define them selves as the 90's Robin Hood, telling Georgie ( played by an unknowned Kate Beckinsale ) they're saving for an orphan's housing proyect. Jez ( Stuart Townsend, a rising british star ) wants to tell the truth, but Dylan ( the american Dan Futterman ) thinks they should go for what they've always wanted.The plot is probably common, but that doesn't stop Shooting Fish from being funny, romantic, and, in some way, human. Of course it has it's failures, but, if you like it, it's good.Jez is a computer geek, a wizard with a degree... and social incompetence. Dylan is dislexic, but he can convince anyone with his endless charm. They grew up in public homes, and now they want a house of their own. Georgie is an inocent medicine student, and she needs the money to save her retarded brother's school.As I said before, the plot is common, but it's original at the same time. It's cleary a Masterpiece, although for some is lack of sense or it should be more adult. But that doesn't stop Shooting Fish to become one of the funniest UK comedies, among with East is East and Trainspoting.Shooting Fish is a british expression for the action of stealing, to defraud. And that is what they do, only the orphans mentioned before are them.When the law catches them, they'll have to tell the truth to Georgie, But: Will she forgive them?This tells us all: even the easiest plan can fail, if you fall in loveSHOOTING FISH Dan Futterman, Stuart Townsend, Kate Beckinsale Directed By Stefan Schuartz Written By stefan Schuartz & Richard HolmesVERY GOOD 8