BEFORE: Samuel L. Jackson carries over from "Cleaner", and I forgot that I programmed five of his films here, plus he already made cameos in three films this year, so he's another contender for most appearances this year, he could easily tie Barack Obama and/or Oprah Winfrey. Still, there's a lot of year left that hasn't been programmed yet, so anything could happen...
THE PLOT: After twenty years in prison, Foley is finished with the grifter's life. When he meets an elusive young woman named Iris, the possibility of a new start looks real, but his past proves to be a stubborn companion.
AFTER: I'm not sure yet, but I think in 4 out of this week's 5 Samuel L. Jackson films, he plays either a cop or an ex-cop. This one's the exception, he plays a former con artist who gets released from jail after over two decades on a murder rap. Midway through the film (which isn't even all that long, just about 90 minutes) we learn that after a con job went wrong, he was forced at gunpoint to kill his best friend and partner. There should be some allowance for that in the court system, no? If you're forced to kill somebody, then there was no intent, he was killing someone to save his own life, and you'd think a jury might take that into account.
Regardless, there's something very meta going on here, because the film seems very aware of its own little tricks and turns, as a con artist who's just been released falls victim to a con himself. Every con has the bait, an attractive woman who the mark feels that he has to save, and in this case, it's Iris. Iris gets roughed up by a thug who works for Ethan, who's the son of Foley's dead partner, the one he killed. I felt like Iris wasn't really ever in danger, but it sure seems like Foley fell for it, and then fell for her. Even after he figured out that Iris was in debt to Ethan, by that time he was so into her that the relationship was essentially real to him, even if it started with a deception.
Actually, several, because there are wheels within wheels here, plans within plans, and even though Ethan needs Foley's expertise to complete the con, you may start to wonder if the con is even real, or just a way for Ethan to get back at Foley for his father's death. Sure, this wouldn't make that much sense, because there are easier ways to hurt somebody than to hire them - but we don't really know Ethan, or how his mind works, or how far he'll go. (It turns out, pretty far...)
No spoilers here, but Foley is forced to break up with Iris, for two reasons - one is for her own safety, so she doesn't get dragged into this dangerous scheme, and the other one is probably the WORST reason you can imagine for having to end a relationship. But Iris is dragged back into the scheme anyway, because the bait Ethan was going to use became no longer available, plus Ethan seemed to enjoy putting somebody that Foley cared about in danger.
All of this while Foley's still technically out on parole, so he's at risk of being sent back to prison just for hanging out with these people, participating in a con game is no doubt way against the rules, also - but by this time he's too far in, and the only way out is through it. As with "The Good Liar", once the parties started using keypads and transferring money between accounts I was pretty lost, but I'll bet that neither banking or con games really works the way that screenwriters think they do - I could be wrong, I suppose.
There's a similar NITPICK POINT about blood transfusions - they don't necessarily work this way, like a screenwriter wants them to. But I can't say any more about that without giving something away, so I won't. The "Goofs" section on the IMDB backs me up, though. Still, I'm going to be kind with my rating today because I did see some things in this film that I haven't seen in other films - and I've seen so many by now, that's really saying something.
Also starring Luke Kirby (last seen in "The Greatest Game Ever Played"), Ruth Negga (last seen in "Ad Astra"), Deborah Kara Unger (last seen in "Thirteen"), Martha Burns, A.C. Peterson (last seen in "Molly's Game"), Aaron Poole (last seen in "The Captive"), Tom McCamus (last seen in "The Sweet Hereafter"), Tom Wilkinson (last seen in "RockRolla"), Gil Bellows (last seen in "The Weather Man"), Rob Archer (last seen in "Ant-Man and the Wasp"), Frank Moore (last seen in "Owning Mahowny"), Diana Leblanc.
RATING: 6 out of 10 construction workers
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