Kiefer Sutherland is set to star in the action/comedy film Sleight of Hand, which follows a band of thieves in Paris as they evade a French gangster hunting for a rare gold coin. With an ensemble cast that includes French acting heavyweight (no pun intended) Gerard Depardieu, Thomas Jane (Hung), Saturday Night Live throwback Jon Lovitz, and Til Schwieger, this film could be intriguing.
According to First Showing, Brad Mirman is in place to direct. He’s better known as a screenwriter, and shamefully responsible for writing Madonna-starred Body of Evidence and the upardonable film Highlander: The Final Dimension. Let’s hope his directing is better than his writing.
Though Sutherland’s role has not been identified yet, the growing cast and crime caper scenario make me think this might be another Ocean’s 11, or even The Italian Job (of course, set in France). What is known of the plot is pretty routine for this type of film. A group of small-time criminals end up stealing a rare gold coin that belongs to a notorious French gangster. In order to raise money to pay off the gangster, the retired-criminal uncle of one of the crew is called in to help. The double crosses and plot twists that follow lead to much merry and tension-fraught chasing through Paris, I have no doubt.
Sutherland is continuing his film comeback with this role. His TV show 24 did a lot in resuscitating his career, and he co-stars in Lars Von Trier’s upcoming film Melancholia. I remember him fondly as a staple in 80’s films, and I hope his comeback lasts. As for Jane, I love him in almost everything he does. It takes some talent to pull off a likeable teacher/male prostitute, the role he plays in HBO’s series Hung.
Hannibal Classics, the production company behind Sleight of Hand, is shopping the film around at Cannes Film Festival in what I’m sure is a feeding frenzy of new films and film proposals. Sleight of Hand is set to start filming this summer.