Lies & Alibis [Celluloid Hero]

Lies & Alibis (2006)

I love a good con movie. I like not knowing everything that a character knows. Sometimes being the omnipotent viewer gets tiresome, and I want to have a character who has ulterior motives that aren't immediately evident. "Lies & Alibis" has motives and cons galore, from infidelity to manslaughter to murder-for-hire.

Steve Coogan, one of my favorite actors, plays Ray Elliot, the owner of a very unique company. They provide alibis for anyone, as long as it doesn't involve a crime. Want to cheat on your spouse? They'll create everything you need. Fake phone calls, emails, operators, businesses and anything else needed to create an airtight excuse for you to sneak away from your life for a weekend.

Things get out of hand when a rich regular client's son accidentally kills his mistress. Ray break the "no crime" rules to protect his own name. However, like a Hitchcock movie, every time a problem seems to be solved, it creates a new one. Fixing one thing means becoming indebted to another unsavory character, and things spiral deeper and deeper. The police are checking on Ray in regards to the mistress's death; her boyfriend wants revenge; the rich son is mad at Ray for telling his father about the death; the rich regular hires a hitman to take out Ray; the hitman's wife flirts with Ray. Everything gets faster and crazier, until Ray has to create an intricate plan to save himself.

The cast of this movie was awesome. Steve Coogan is a favorite of mine, a fast-talking, confident, smooth genius. Rebecca Romijn plays the femme fatale wonderfully. The supporting cast of Sam Elliott, James Brolin, James Marsden, Selma Blair, John Leguizamo, and Debi Mazar all give smaller characters some nice depth. Two of my favorites are the bodyguards/enforcers played by Henry Rollins and Jim Cody Williams.

The beginning of "Lies & Alibis" felt a bit rushed. Everything was being established, but it felt like things could have been laid out easier. Once the first act was done and the main plot kicked in, I was happy.