Shooting Fish

PG

Released May 1, 1998

1h 49m

Romance

Comedy

List

57%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Two con artists (Dan Futterman, Stuart Townsend) hire an unwitting medical-school student (Kate Beckinsale) as a secretary for their latest scam.

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Audience Member

Dylan (Dan Futterman) and Jez (Stuart Townsend) are two orphans who meet in their twenties and vow to achieve their shared childhood dream of living in a stately home. In pursuit of this dream they spend their days living in a disused gas holder, spending as little money as possible and conning the upper classes out of their riches. During one of their cons, they encounter Georgie (Kate Beckinsale) who is a medical student who can type. Georgie becomes aware that the two are con-artists. But they manage to convince her that they are modern day Robin Hoods, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. When a con goes wrong, the two find themselves jailed. They later learn that their entire fortune is to be rendered useless as the Royal Bank of England is recalling the notes. Jez and Dylan decide they need to somehow escape and retrieve their money or risk losing it. Jez contacts Georgie and appeals to her to help. Georgie, unbeknownst to the guys needs money to save the Down syndrome foundation's mansion that her brother currently attends. She organises for Jez and Dylan to get released on compassionate leave under the guise of attending the cremation of a relative . While the ceremony is ongoing, they sneak out and retrieve the money and return before the prison warders suspect a thing. With the money hidden in the coffin they accidentally send it to be cremated and are returned to prison completely despondent... The film held its own commercially in the UK. Reviews at the time singled out Townsend for praise but felt the narrative contained one twist and turn too many. Others suggested the film was merely an 'Ealing Comedy' in modern form and lacked modern characterization. The 'soft comedic focus' however had been a deliberate plan by the production team who wanted to avoid the socio-political realism in comedies like Brassed Off and The Full Monty. A Time Out review (1997) said, "A succession of cameos provides light relief, and the film's saved by the amiable performances of Futterman, Beckinsale and, especially, Townsend." Re-seeing "Shooting Fish" was a so so experience to be honest. It such a 90´s production with the classic crooked camera angles and super zoom ins. And the con men storyline is not really that funny in 2021 which I thought it was in 1997. However. it was nice to see a young and lovely Kate Beckinsale, but the rest I could be without.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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Frances H

Slick, breezy, clever flick with an engaging cast makes for pure entertainment.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/10/15

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Audience Member

Not that good as I thought it would be, not that bad to run away from it either.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

Excellent story! II like this movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Loved this film - a real Ealing Comedy for the 90's. Its got something that's missing from sooo many modern films - heart! Its not trying to change the world, there's no overbearing political message, its simply a well written, well acted piece of enjoyable good natured escapism - and all the better for that. Still stands up well today - proof that a good movie can stand the test of time. A shame that the so called professional reviewers only gave it 57% on RT - but then, they would probably prefer something with more 'message' - me, I simply like watching a good film. And this is one. End of.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Really enjoyed this film

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Stefan Schwartz

Director

Dan Futterman

Dylan

Stuart Townsend

Jez

Kate Beckinsale

Georgie

Claire Cox

Floss

Dominic Mafham

Roger

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 2/5

Jan 10, 2003

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 12, 2002

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Rated: 1/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Film Threat

Rated: 3/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Todd Jorgenson

Denton Record-Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Aug 29, 2005

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 1, 2005

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Synopsis

Two con artists (Dan Futterman, Stuart Townsend) hire an unwitting medical-school student (Kate Beckinsale) as a secretary for their latest scam.

Director: Stefan Schwartz
Producer: Chris Craib, Graham Hampson Silk
Screenwriter: Stefan Schwartz, Richard Holmes
Distributor: Fox, 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Tomboy Films, Arts Council of England, Gruber Bros, National Lottery, Winchester Multimedia PLC
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 1, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 30, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $302.2K
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital