Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
A former child art prodigy and second generation petty thief arranges to buy his way out of prison to spend time with his ailing son, only to be forced to alter his plans and commit one more job for the man who financed his release.
The Forger is a competent but unremarkable crime drama. John Travolta leads a cast that includes Christopher Plummer and Tye Sheridan, with Plummer and Sheridan offering the film's strongest performances. The father-son dynamic and Sheridan's terminal illness angle provide emotional weight, but the script is thin and predictable, following a very familiar 'one last job' template. The art forgery angle is underutilized as a narrative device and never fully explores the craft. Cinematography is workmanlike with nothing distinctive. The film earns a modest score largely on the strength of its cast, but is otherwise a by-the-numbers crime thriller that fails to distinguish itself in a crowded genre.