Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Fun movies, good indie movies, caper films
Likes: Rebecca Romijn, Steve Coogan, mega-casts
Dislikes:
Hates: Getting no extras

The Movie
When I saw the trailer for this film, on the Wah-Wah disc, I thought, "Hey, I'd like to check that out someday." Little did I know that that day would come so soon, as "Alibis and Lies," which, in its trailer, looked like an original concept done with style and an impressive cast, arrived for me to review. Color me a lucky boy.

Films with star-filled casts tend to fall into two categories: one, where the actors are picked by the creators to fill parts (Soderberg's movies), and the other, where the actors choose to be a part of something big (cred-conferring movies like Altman's.) When the actors are chosen for a reason outside of their Q rating and box-office grosses, it always shows, as their talent shines through, resulting in a great picture like Magnolia. Lies and Alibis has more in common with the latter than the former, though the words "great" and "star-filled cast" might be a bit of a stretch. "Very good" and "well-known cast" fit a bit better.

Popular British comedian Steve Coogan anchors the film as Ray Elliott, a former con-man running a company that helps cover up the adulterous affairs of its clients through a network of agents and technology. It's all running rather well for Ray until he's asked to assist the soon-to-be married son of his first-ever client (James Brolin.) The impetuous young man (James Marsden) gets into some trouble though, which ends up putting Ray in the crosshairs of a Morman hitman (Sam Elliott), an angry yet logical thug (John Leguizamo), and an aggressive murderer from his past.

Throw in a new employee who can stick with Ray step for step (Rebecca Romaijn), a sex-hungry Morman wife (Selma Blair) and a cop hot on his trail (Deb Mazar), and our anti-hero has a lot to deal with. Fortunately for him, planning to cover tracks is what he does for a living, and the film benefits by showing (and not showing) him in action.

Coogan is a revelation is this role, which calls on his comedic timing, but is carried by his ability as a leading man. Though in many ways the film feels like a noir story told by Elmore Leonard, there's a lot of unique moments that rely on Coogan being able to portray a cool demeanor in the face of danger. That kind of performance can come off as cartoonish, like a James Bond parody, but Coogan makes it work. One scene, in which he faces three attackers in a bar, is so genuine to the character's personality, that it rises above the cliche its set up as, something this film does repeatedly.

At just 90 minutes in length, the film flies by, aided by a colorful cast that includes Jamie King and Henry Rollins. There are no dead spots anywhere in Noah Hawley's solid script, and Matt Checkowski and Kurt Mattila's impressive directing creates a visually engaging story. The two sides of the storytelling combine in the lengthy, climactic resolution of all the storylines, a segment of film that's tightly plotted and shot, and delivered with near perfection, drawing everything together. It's rare to see such a satisfying ending to such a stylish film, but Lies and Alibis pays off big.

The DVD
Packed in a standard keepcase, sans insert, Lies and Alibis is a one-disc release, featuring a static anamorphic widescreen main menu, with options to watch the film, select scenes, adjust languages and check out previews. There are no language options, but you can choose to watch the film in widescreen or full-frame, and subtitles are available in English and French, along with English closed captioning.

The Quality
The anamorphic widescreen transfer looks great, with bold, vivid color, and a crisp image that's got a very nice level of detail. There's not a speck of dirt or damage to be found in the film, and there are no obvious digital artifacts either.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track on the film is good, but certainly not a reference quality presentation, due to the lack of any kind of dynamic effects in the mix. Other than that, it's a nice delivering of the audio, with strong, surround-enhanced music and a clear, clean center channel for the dialogue.

The Extras
Sadly, this is a pure catalog release, and there are no extras included with this film, except for six unrelated trailers.

The Bottom Line
A caper film has to have a bit of fun to it if its going to entertain, otherwise it may as well be a straight action film. Lies and Alibis has a bit more fun than your usual caper, but it has an intricate plot to go with it, and enough style and name-recognition to earn comparisons to the Ocean's 11 franchise. What it doesn't have is any extras to go with a solid presentation. Give it a look to see if it, or Coogan, catches your fancy.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.