The Con Artist has the supreme injustice of being released straight to DVD, rather than receiving a proper theatrical run. This is not due in any fashion to the quality of the picture, and really does speak to the fact that American audiences will not give a movie a chance if it does not contain sufficient star power. The Con Artist is headed up by Rossif Sutherland and Rebecca Romijn (with a crew that is fleshed out with the inclusion of Donald Sutherland and Sarah Roemer), and it details the troubles that former convict Vince (Rossif Sutherland) gets into after ey has been paroled.
What seems to only be a stint of a few months for Vince before ey goes back to prison changes considerably after Belinda (Romijn) looks into Vince’s soul. Belinda wishes to give Vince another chance through the promotion of eir sculptures, which also provide a law-abiding way of escape for the former evil-doer. However, the tension in The Con Artist increases when it becomes apparent that Belinda has more in common with Vince’s old boss Kranski (Donald Sutherland), gaining all the fruits of Vince’s labor while not providing proper payment. Freshly empowered after ey starts to date Kristen (Sarah Roemer), Vince has to take one last step before ey can break free of all of the bad influences and decisions and come out as a changed man.
While the storyline is impressive enough on its own right, I feel that the choice in scenery and overall atmosphere created by it should be explored in a second or third viewing of the flick. What ultimately happens at the end of The Con Artist will surprise you; check out this film today.
Rating: 8.0/10
The Con Artist (DVD) / 2011 Entertainment One / 97 Minutes / http://www.entertainmentonegroup.com