The Forger (2014) User Reviews

Not bad to watch.

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 27 April 2015]

So, deep in the heart of this picture, it's about a man trying to spend more time with his son. It's very touching.

John Travolta overall is good in this movie. He plays an incarcerated art forger who was release from prison early thanks to an old criminal contact who needs him to forge something for him while all the forger wants to do is make up for lost time with his son.

I really like the parts where Travolta's character is preparing for the heist to steel the painting and replace it with his forgery which is where this movie differs from other heist movies as it goes into what it's like to be an art forger.

Reminds me of the Art of steel starring Kurt Russell who like Travolta, I have not seen star in a movie in ages.

Not a bad movie to catch.

Just give it a try ...

[peterp-450-298716 · 6/10 · 9 June 2015]

"You ever going to Tahiti like Paul Gauguin? I don't know."

If there's something Travolta remained loyal to, then surely it's his distinctive, sad look. Ever since I saw him the first time appearing in "Saturday Night Fever" (ages ago), he uses that sad expression. It always looks as if he's going to burst out in tears. And the movie"The Forger" is substantively perfect for retrieving that typical facial expression at the right time. A film about a convicted forger who turned his back at his former profession. And at the same time he's a concerned father who would do anything to be with his son the short time that's left. And that's where this movie fails a bit. Does the emphasis lie on the father-son relationship or was it the intention to make a crime story? The final result is a mix of these two, with the result that both aspects feel like semi-finished.

Raymond J. Cutter (John Travolta) is a notorious forger of art works and is about to be released earlier because of a deal with a thug called Keegan (Anson Mount). In this way he can spend some time with his son Will (Tye Sheridan), a petite teenager whose future doesn't look so rosy after they've discovered a brain tumor. To say the very least, the relationship between Will and his father isn't too good. Also between Raymond and his father (Christopher Plummer), who took care of Will during Raymond's absence, there are some disputes. The additional problem is that Keegan expects something in return from Raymond, namely forging a valuable, world famous painting from Monet.

Now, I'm not an art expert but I don't think you can forge a Monet painting in such a short time period. I'm sure you don't really need high-tech methods to determine from the outset if the painting hanging on the wall is authentic or recently painted. But my gut feeling says that this aspect of "The Forger" is irrelevant and that it's just used as an entertaining way to introduce the father-son relationship. Would Travolta be a professional dancer in this film, and he and his son had to participate in a renowned competition together (where Travolta could show his famous 70s dance moves once again) this would have yielded the same result. Commercially, the result would probably be disappointing. So we throw in a bit of mystery and crime (where Travolta can demonstrate his tough side again and beat up some bouncers with a baseball bat) to make it more attractive.

Although it looks a lot like a typical movie, at times the acting transcends the average. Especially the moments between father and son are beautifully played with vulnerability and regret getting the upper hand. That it eventually turns into a collaboration between father and son, is a bit far-fetched. Plummer also shines at times and shows he's perfectly suited for a character part. Even Travolta demonstrates that he has more to offer than just watching sad all the time. The loss of his son Jett most likely has something to do with his rendition looking so realistic. Maybe he decided to give this role a try as a therapeutic decision, in order to put a painful period in the past.

More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

Father, Son and the ... Forger

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 2 May 2016]

If you like family values in your movies, you could do much worse than this. And while you might not agree with Travoltas politics or his firm believe in Scientology, this shouldn't matter watching a movie like this. He has fallen, but he can still act. Even if he projects more into some things than necessary.

Still this is a decent, if predictable effort into the Heist foray. We know where it is heading and while only in movies people behave certain ways, there is a bit of switch with the story of a son who has been neglected and has to be won over again. Maybe this will warm your heart (not being sarcastic) to a degree that you'll give this a higher rating

Decent Thriller Drama

[nebk · 7/10 · 3 April 2015]

This movie opens with a forger Raymond Cutter (John Travolta) behind bars serving a four year sentence and desperate to get out even though he only has 10 months left in prison. As he was refused parole the only way to get out is to get a criminal called Keegan to organize his release by bribing a judge. This however means that he will be indebted to Keegan upon his release. It becomes apparent that Cutter is desperate to come out of prison as his son has been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

When he is released Cutter is almost immediately pulled back into the world of crime when Keegan forces him to forge a painting by Monet and substitute it for the original. On top of this he has to reconnect with his son had deal with his son's illness. He also needs to do this whilst the police led by Agent Paisley (Abagail Spencer) is taking a close look at his activities.

Overall this movie has a decent (but somewhat flawed) story and a very good cast Including Christopher Plummer as Cutter's father and Tye Sheridan as his son. It should be noted however that this movie has few action scenes and is more of a thriller drama as more time is spent dealing with the family dynamics between Cutter and his son. So it might not appeal to people who prefer Travolta in more action oriented roles. The ending also feels a bit rushed and predictable given that most of the movie is spent leading up to Cutter forging the painting and replacing the original. It's still worth a watch though and not a bad way to spend ninety minutes. A 7/10.

Script structure lets it down

[jtindahouse · 6/10 · 25 June 2015]

'The Forger' is a strange film in a way. It feels like it's trying to cover every genre at once from thriller to action to comedy to drama. They're all there but the film never takes the time to focus on one of them in particular and I think that holds it back. At times John Travolta's character is shown to be a tough man capable of fighting 6 men at once with ease. And yet this fact is only really useful to that scene and not in any other way to the story. There's a dramatic element holding the plot together which is Travolta's son having cancer, but even with this being the driving force behind everything it still feels half done. Then there's the art heist which you would imagine to be the crux of the entire thing, but this too feels like a tacked on plot piece simply there to give the film a title and a hint of excitement to an otherwise potentially dull story. Despite the balance being off though it's quite a watchable movie.

Travolta is looking old and worn down it has to be said. He looked very far from a man capable of taking on 6 large men in a fight. His performance, at least dramatically, was quite good however as you would expect with him of course having a close association with the lose of his son five years previously. He did struggle a bit with the Boston accent, with it appearing and disappearing from scene to scene. The rest of the cast held things together but were nothing memorable. I think a few touch ups of the script structure and this could have been quite a sleeper hit. Even as it it's not all that bad of a watch.

nice film

[koconnor-188-558535 · 19 April 2015]

slow start but the pace does pick up , there are some nice touches and the characters do stir emotion and feeling…travolta uses his skills well to say few words bt the long silences speak volumes if ur willing to listen!….i guess he is using his own experience of loosing a son to convey the mood that would accompany such a tragic process for a parent and child ….plummer also plays his part as the long suffering yet slightly irreverent father to travolta ….tye sheridan is also well capable in his role as Will ,conveying adolescence and a heavy burden. Jennifer Ehle plays her character brilliantly as a disconnected drug addict mother reluctant to resolve her past. The film is also sensitive to the beauty of art and at the same time i guess the suffering that has accompanied some real artists whom have left us with a moment in history…The recipe of differing themes is well portrayed and nicely and sensitively edited ….as long as expectations are kept reasonable, as no mind blowing car chases occur or fantasy special effects …then this film is worth your time imo and may even stimulate a tear or two and the ending although fairly predicable is a nice conclusion and not over cooked … im sure but could be wrong that this Monet was or is in the cardiff museum in wales ?

Paint Job

[teoalcantara · 5/10 · 22 April 2015]

People expecting a more action oriented heist type of movie will probably be disappointed. "The Forger" leans towards family drama territory.

Now, if you can get past Travolta's look in this picture (I couldn't help getting distracted by his awkward wig and goatee) and don't expect much, you'll probably be mildly entertained.

Christopher Plummer is very likable in this, and his presence helps the movie a lot.

Overall, straight to video material.

5 out of 10

Good story well implemented

[bbriddell · 7/10 · 4 May 2015]

Acting was seamless and pulls you directly into the story perfectly.

Music was good throughout the film, except for one song.

Drama as a genre term is fine and seems to have a negative connotation. So, Father and Son; yes. Family members coming to terms with Main character's time in Prison. Father helping son. Gradfather and Father coming to terms.

Criminal story was excellent.

It's nice to know movies can be made every once in a while that don't use the roller coaster formula of extreme loud noise/music/audio, then pop your ear drums.

When you have something worth saying; or a story to tell, shouting doesn't make it better or the words have more meaning.

This movie is great for after a long hard work week and you just would like to kick back to enjoy a great movie. Enjoy.

Hmmm, it's like, alright.. OK?

[Finfrosk86 · 5/10 · 1 May 2015]

Saw a trailer for this movie here on IMDb through no fault of my own, and when I got the chance to see it, I did. I got the feeling that this wasn't the biggest movie in history, and it isn't either.

I paint, and I like me a good heist-movie from time to time, and John Travolta is a decent actor, so I gave it a whirl.

Now, this movie isn't super bad, nor is it super good. It's a little under mediocre. The acting is pretty uninspired in some parts, and lacks energy, but it's all over OK. Travolta does an OK job, his charm shines through a little, but not a lot.

The movie has some slight action sprinkled in, actually a teeny bit of violence, but nothing much. It's like, almost exciting, and the heist part is alright. All over it's OK.

I'm not one to talk about plot holes, but there is one here that bothered me a little. All in all the movie takes no chances and is just OK. I was mildly entertained for most of the time.

Worthwhile drama won't be forged in memory

[videorama-759-859391 · 7/10 · 26 May 2015]

The Forger, yet pretty forgettable, is still quite an involving drama, with an excellent performance from Travolta. The Forger offers little surprises and sits between good and fair. Travolta an ex con, is released early from prison, to be with his cancer ridden son, who probably has nine months to live. There's a catch. He has to forge a painting for these bad scummy dudes. Travolta kicks arse in this too, like when he's onset by these thugs, as if to remind him to do his job, or he's back in the clink. Travolta separated from his drug addicted wife, takes hos son to see her. This scenario was very reminiscent of that one in The Fourth Wish, where the actress here was excellent, up there wit Travolta. So is Christopher Plummer as the grandad, creating a hell of a interesting old guy character character, putting his magic touch of acting to it, like Travolta does with that paintbrush. The son too, is awesome, bringing a manifold of emotions with such realism and naturalism. One surprise is near the start, when Travolta's in that club, and is made the skank woman for a cop, which I didn't. Though quite a worthwhile drama, it's one you throw away after seeing it. How Travolta screws the bad dudes with his plan was very predictable, and there are other moments too. The final scene borders on tear jerking territory, so have those tissues ready.

good family drama film centered around a paint heist

[dimbost · 5/10 · 23 November 2015]

This was actually a decent film to watch. Don't be mistaken it is not an action movie about a heist job. This is a film about the length that a father will go to be there for his sick child.

John Travolta plays a forger who has 10 month left on his sentence, but decided to do a dirty deal with a gangster to get him out earlier. While this comes as a surprise to most other characters, it is later revealed that he had to do it. Keegan played Anson Mount, is the guy that got him out and is now asking John to forge a masterpiece in exchange for his services. This is where the plot thickness (LOL) John meets and realizes that Abigail Spenceris who plays agent Paisley is a cop, this intrigues her and she starts to follow him. Without going into to much detail of the film, John's character Raymond is only trying to be a good father. He is doing everything he can to help his son while his own life is getting more and more dangerous.

The acting in this film was for most part great. John Travolta does a great job, Raymond has some very unique trait marks that are very different to all other characters that John has played over his great career. Anson at first seemed like the wrong guy, but by the middle of the film when the plot gets revealed you realize that his character is suppose to be like that. Abigail was a bit of a waste in this film, she does a good job as the DEA agent, but can't say that she was great, every one else did what they were paid to do.

The negative of the film, is that you can see that this wasn't a big budget film and that locations were pretty terrible. They used a school as a prison. hahaha.... and some acting was below average, i just don't want to write names.

The story was interesting, had a lot of meaning, and the main character is some-one we all can relate in one sense or another.

A pretty good movie, after all.

[sldaley · 8/10 · 25 June 2015]

The review that caught my eye, before I rented "The Forger", was "Travolta's best performance in ten years...". But then, just before watching it, I searched for more reviews and saw that some critics panned it. Well, I happy to say they are wrong—it's a pretty good movie, after all.

I mean, come on, critics! I usually agree with you—but saying this is too "slow paced" and that it has "two, conflicting, story lines"? I LOVED the pace, and the acting, and, especially the story line(s).

OK, so it does have two story lines going on—the forgery and heist, and the human interest about the forger's family (his dad, his son, his ex-wife who had not seen the son in years, the female detective...). So what? It's believable (as much as any heist story or human interest story can be) to the point that plot vs. sub-plot is just not a problem.

I thought Travolta DID give a heck of a performance. His pace fit the overall pace of the film, as did that of the other actors. And Travolta, who has had his share of sorrow in real life, looked to me like a man who has been there, done that. He looks the part and is very convincing.

Everyone actually looked pretty good (or properly bad-ass) thanks to some solid lighting and overall nice cinematography. (This is not some kind of "art" film, but nevertheless consistent in it's camera work.) The sound quality was good (a pet peeve of mine in some films) including the music which seemed to fit the film nicely.

As for the VERY best performance in the film, besides Plummer, who is always fun to watch for me... it has to be young Tye Sheridan. Nicely understated, smart, believable. I'm looking forward to his next film, whatever it turns out to be.

Finally, the director certainly knows a thing or two about film making, as, even with the somewhat slow pace, everything builds mostly evenly towards a satisfying ending. Of course the screenplay had to work too, for that to happen.

Bottom line, I'm glad I rented "The Forger". I enjoyed pretty much all of it, and even replayed a few parts to study how the film was put together. Probably no Academy Awards coming for this, but all cast and crew can still stand tall.

A decent movie

[mahmoudimohsen · 6/10 · 4 June 2016]

In overall, I liked the movie. It certainly has some shortcomings in my opinion. I think the pace of movie is slow and the story is straight forward with a happy ending. The latter may not be considered as a disadvantage, however did not satisfied me fully. The act of most characters other than Anson Mount is good, specially Christopher Plummer was a good match to this type of story. This picture that a man trying to spend his time with his child with cancer is indeed a touching picture, but involving him in criminal affairs do not seem like a realistic story. However, think that director has done a good job in showing how their life changes. I personally liked this part.

Yawn, Yawn. Wait. Damn, another yawn.

[chrismackey1972 · 4/10 · 1 April 2015]

Wow, that was sooooo slow and boring. I caught myself watching the clock a few times. I used to Travolta in action movies. This is the exact opposite. It's not that the movie was badly made. It was -- as I said -- slow.

I didn't care for the storyline or the characters. Even though the kid is sick, I didn't form any attachment for him at all. The only one I liked was the female cop, and that's most likely because she's pretty.

If you like being bored to tears by a very slow movie with characters you couldn't care less about, this is the film for you. However, I do not recommend.

I gave this a 4-star rating because of the boredom and slowness involved. There is a definite difference between subtle and boring. This was BORING!

Not as good as I hoped. The Best Offer was a way better movie.

[cosmo_tiger · 6/10 · 18 May 2015]

"If you had one wish, what would you wish for?" Raymond (Travolta) is tired of being in prison and will do anything to get out. He finally finds a way, by making a deal with a criminal. If they let him out he must pull of an impossible heist in return. Backed into a corner Raymond, his father (Plummer) and his son must do the impossible or face dire consequences. This is a movie I was looking forward to. It sounded interesting and I love heist movies. I am not a huge fan of Travolta but I was still excited about this. I was disappointed. This was really just a paint by numbers movie with nothing all that new or original. You can see the end coming a mile away and that takes all the fun out of the movie. Some people may like this but I was pretty disappointed. Overall, not as good as I hoped. The Best Offer was a way better movie. I give this a C+.

Good movie to watch once

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 15 June 2015]

Not a bad movie at all. Maybe not the greatest either but certainly worth a watch. A story about the relationship between a convicted father (John Travolta) and his son with cancer (Tye Sheridan) and the grandfather (Christopher Plummer). They all did a good job with their roles. Since Travolta is a scientologist I have difficulties to like him but other then that he isn't a bad actor. The father tries to fulfill a couple of wishes of his dying son with the help of the grandfather as well. The story itself is easy to follow. You won't have to think too much, just relax and enjoy the ride. I saw better movies for sure but I certainly did see a lot of worse movies.

It's okay, if you know what to expect

[Wizard-8 · 8 July 2015]

I took a quick look at the most recent user comments for this movie before typing this up, and it sure seems this film has divided people - people either love or hate it. I think that those viewers who didn't like the movie may have felt they were promised something different (a traditional caper movie) than what the movie actually is (a character study.) I admit that I thought I was going to get something closer to a caper movie, but I didn't mind at all what I actually got. The movie is pretty well done for what it is. There is some good acting here, for one thing. While Travolta (who has a weird looking toupee and facial hair) is just adequate, Plummer gives spark to his scenes, and the youthful Tye Sheridan does very well at all, making his teenage character interesting and vulnerable instead of obnoxious. It's primarily the script that makes their characters and the others not boring. I actually got interested in these people, and I didn't have any idea as to how they would end up until the end of the movie. I will admit that the movie is somewhat slow a lot of the time, and could have used a bit more excitement here and there (the art theft scene is surprisingly short). But in the end, I thought the movie was okay. Just don't see it if you are in the mood for action/adventure or a traditional caper movie, that is.

Family first, heist second

[Seth_Rogue_One · 5/10 · 10 December 2015]

I almost feel like the filmmakers decided to forge what this movie was supposed to be, the plot summary and even poster makes it sound like a proper heist-flick with flashy pictures and talks of 'it's never too late for one last heist'.

But it's more a father/son relationship drama than it is a thrilling heist movie.

Nothing wrong with that but why not advertise it as such as most heist film fans are bound to be let down?

And when it is about the heist everything is super simplified and it's just not very realistic so it never gives you a 'whoa' factor either.

The acting is okay, and it's not horrible but nothing really stands out and it ends out and the lack of action for most part of the duration makes it a rather forgettable experience.

Extremely Emotional Story About Family & Tragedy Not a Heist-Film as Advertised

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 27 December 2015]

Highly Emotional Family bonding and Dramatics engage this Tear-Jerker with a good trio of lead Actors John Travolta, Tye Sheridan, and Christopher Plummer. Not a Heist-Film, per-se, as advertised, but a slice of Tragic Life with a Terminal Teenage cancer Victim the Centerpiece.

The Family involved here are Criminals and Druggies. The Teen Boy is confronted with mostly Certain Death and handles it well. Travolta is Sensitive trying to Comfort and Reconnect with his Son, the Heart of Film, and while not breaking any New Ground the Movie is at best with the Warm Involvement of the Characters.

The Heist angle is ridiculously Staged and is the Weakest part of the two part Story. If You can forgive the Contrivances in the Con, what is left is Human Drama handled with just enough Gravitas to hold the thing together and make it Worth a Watch.

It's a Story that has been Done Many Times but is Essential and Important for the plight of People whose Lives are filled with Suffering brought about by their own makings and the makings of a World and Universe filled with Pain and the way our Species must Deal and Cope.

The part of Life that Demands from all in this "House of Pain" the Courage and Determination to Overcome the Obstacles Roadblocking the Journey for all of Life's Participants.

Art forgery on your lunch hour...

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 20 August 2016]

Expert art forger in Boston is released from a stint in jail early with help from the crime syndicate, who want him to pull off one final job. John Travolta plays the single dad who unites his father and teenage son in a scheme to replace a Monet from the art museum with a ringer. Listless, "moody" drama, poorly-written by Richard D'Ovidio, makes art forgery look like a hobby, chemotherapy treatments something that may sideline a cancer-sufferer for an hour or so, and breaking into a museum as easy as spraying a keyboard pad for fingerprints and switching off the electricity. Travolta looks positively lost standing in front of a canvas with a paintbrush in his hand, but his wrung-out appearance here is appropriate and he keeps his star-persona in check. Not so Christopher Plummer as his father, who continually drops f-bombs and tries stealing scenes by being 'wily.' D'Ovidio's idea of providing action in this enervated scenario includes Travolta introducing his son to the drug-addicted mother the kid never knew and, that old standby, taking the boy to a prostitute. We also get two police detectives on the case who seem plucked from a B-movie in the 1990s, plus greasy-haired guys working for the crime boss who don't even flinch when Plummer surprises them with a shotgun. The whole picture is so drab and ordinary, one can't be sure if, perhaps, the screenplay was diluted before or during production or if it was never worth a damn to begin with. *1/2 from ****

Good...

[RosanaBotafogo · 7/10 · 18 July 2021]

John Travolta is a handsome guy, here a good-hearted ham, passionate relationship between parents and children, in 3 generations, a good suspense plot at the end, simple, intelligent and efficient, highlighting Monet's work, Woman with Umbrella (O Tour), and curiosity about the paints used...

Not the film you are expecting

[stephendaxter · 5/10 · 26 April 2015]

This movie is being labelled as a Crime, Drama Thriller, the problem was that it wasn't much of a drama and definitely was not a thriller, and didn't have a whole lot of interesting crime. When you think of a heist film you think of non stop suspense and edge of your seat moments. This film was the opposite of that, but in saying that, it wasn't actually as bad as you would think. While this film is bland and quite unoriginal when regarding the overall plot is to steal something and replace it with a forgery surprisingly the father son relationship and interactions seemed to work for me. At first i thought the relationship they were setting up with John Travolta's son was going to bog down the film when it actually elevated it. The longer the film went on and you got to learn more about the characters the more i was able to buy what they were going through. Now i won't say that the performances were great because they weren't, it was more just the interactions between the father and son and how they evolve over the course of the film that got me engaged. If you're looking for a really good Travolta film, this isn't it.

Now the plot was just very unoriginal for the most part and just really unexciting. They didn't really explain a lot of things clearly enough initially so you are kind of realising what John Travolta is trying to do as he does it. And so you are left without any plot to get engaged into and can only focus on the father - son relationship. Also for something that is supposed to be a thriller it moved at a really slow pace, and i understand that they wanted to really highlight the emotions the characters are going through but they had to figure out how to balance both aspects. One minor subplot that involved some interactions with John Travolta and some detectives i didn't quite understand, i never understood why people were doing / not doing certain things and all this subplot did is complicate things further.

In the end i think what this film suffered from is not knowing what type of film this is. It was labelled as a crime thriller, and advertised as a crime thriller with a little bit of drama in there. What it should have been advertised as is a crime drama, with an emphasis on the drama and also build the film based on the father - son relationship without the uninteresting 'thriller' scenes. That being said, even though it suffered in terms of the plot and script the back and forth between John Travolta and Tye Sheridan elevated the film over time. - 5.5

Touching father / son / grandson story

[paxdriver · 8/10 · 18 May 2015]

I really liked this movie despite the criticism against it. It's a story of men's love, more demonstrative than proclaimed. It's not often we get an honest look into the true bonds across generations. Feminists may disagree, but I see no wrong with celebrating either sex's strengths and shortcomings. It's an honest introspective with a bit of sensationalism for entertainment; I feel it was very tastefully done.

John Travolta's life made him perfect for this role. I won't dwell on it but he is phenomenal without ever being over the top. There wasn't a bad act in the bunch, from leads to support and there are a number of genuinely heartwarming and hilarious moments making this film a top class choice you won't regret seeing.

***

[edwagreen · 7/10 · 24 March 2016]

John Travolta looks much older in a very mature performance regarding payback to a thief who was able to get him out of prison earlier so that he could spend time with his dying 15 year old son.

It is heartbreaking how Travolta grants his son's wish by getting his mother, a drug addict, to see him. That day they shared together was poignant as the boy guessed his mother's affliction.

There is a gem of a performance by Christopher Plummer, as Travolta's father. Parting from his usual urbane performances, Plummer is common and quite used to using profanity in each of his sentences.

How the 3 guys unite in working on the forgery and turning the tables on the guy who demanded payback was thrilling to say the least.

Awful

[smithellie1966 · 1/10 · 22 April 2015]

Is it a joke? I am talking about this naive, primitive,pretentious, idiotic movie with Travolta in it? How in the world he ended up in this piece of garbage? Was it made for people with elementary school kids level of maturity and mentality? Everything about this film is bad, very bad. Only Tye Sheridan's performance, in my opinion, was good. What is happening in Hollywood? One piece of garbage after another. Even Oscars are given now for not only mediocre, but really bad movies. Argo? Gravity? Give me a break! American Sniper was nominated? That is why I only watch foreign movies now. The latest I watched, Force Majeure was excellent.Don't miss Letters to Father Jacob.