Kounterfeit
Encyclopedia
Kounterfeit is a 1996
American
crime
/thriller film starring Bruce Payne
and Hilary Swank
. Kounterfeit was directed
by John Mallory Asher
and written
by David Chase
, Katherine Fugate
and Jay Irwin.
The two attend the venue of the exchange, which is the house of an undercover police officer, Danny who uses the alias Paco. Danny believes that he is being assisted by two FBI agents in order to arrest Frankie and Hopscotch. Instead the other two men shoot and kill Danny and attempt to kill Frankie and Hopscotch. Frankie manages to shoot the two men after they kill Danny and he and Hopscotch flee the house with the real and the fake money which is contained in three suitcases. Frankie also pulls some paper out of the jacket of one of the two purported FBI agents. The shootout is witnessed by Danny's sister Colleen, who was hiding in the house. Distraught, she mistakenly believes that Frankie killed her brother and provides the police with his description. After fleeing the scene, Frankie escorts Hopscotch to the house of the latter's brother, Marty. Frankie advises Hopscotch to lie low while he conjures up a plan of what to do with the money. Marty seems concerned that his brother is associating with someone like Frankie.
Colleen is comforted by the colleagues of her dead brother Danny, including his boss Captain Evans. He advises her that they will do whatever is necessary to find Danny's killers. The investigation into Danny's death is led by Vic, who is Colleen's former lover. It transpires that Vic had ended his relationship with Colleen acrimoniously years previously. Despite their troubled past, he spends time with Colleen to help her combat her grief. However, struggling to restrain her emotions, Colleen becomes frustrated with the investigation into her brother's death as she begins to believe that little progress is being made. As she persistently approaches Captain Evans, in a vexed mood, he advises her that they believe Danny was a 'dirty' cop, something which, based on her knowledge of her brother's character, she strenuously refutes. As a result, she loses faith with her brother's former colleagues and decides to conduct her own investigations. She manages to track down Frankie and asks to be allowed to perform at his strip club. He admits that she is pretty enough to do the job, but states that she ought to think it over before making any commitment.
Meanwhile, after Frankie is attacked by the two masked men who killed the counterfeiter, he and Hopscotch decide to bury the three suitcases of money in the desert to ensure that they are safe. After burying the money Hopscotch is killed and Frankie is forced to engage in a shootout with the killer. The killer is revealed to be one of the two masked men and Hopscotch's brother, Marty. Frankie persuades Marty to inform him of the identity of the other masked man who he soon learns is Vic. In a show of disloyalty, Vic kills Marty and requests that Frankie tell him of the whereabouts of the money. Frankie declines to do so and returns to his strip club, where in a private performance he watches Colleen audition for a job. Afterwards, Frankie takes Colleen to his apartment where they begin kissing. Suddenly, Colleen pulls out a gun and confronts Frankie about the death of her brother. Frankie is initially confused but then elucidates upon the events of the shoot out. He advises her that Danny appeared to trust the other two men who were in the room at his house when he was killed and that they turned on him. To convince Colleen that he is telling the truth he manipulates the gun so that Colleen only needs to pull the trigger in order to kill him.
Colleen believes Frankie and he escorts her to her car so that she can travel home. Vic sees Frankie and Colleen together and when Colleen is gone he advises Frankie to stay away from her. The next day Frankie visits Colleen and produces the piece of paper that he took from the purported FBI agent. The piece of paper is part of a map with directions on it in red ink. Frankie advises Colleen that he believes that Vic was involved in her brother's killing. He tells her to tell Vic's superiors in the police and take them to the desert. While Colleen travels to the police station, Frankie advises Vic that he has changed his mind and that he will share the money with him. Frankie and Vic drive to the desert where they dig up the cases with the money in. Meanwhile Colleen and Captain Evans arrive at the desert. Evans advises Colleen to wait in the car as he investigates. As he leaves in pursuit of Vic and Frankie, she finds the other half of the map on the dashboard of the car. Evans walks up a hill and sees Frankie and Vic with the cases of money. Vic manages to hit Frankie with a spade in an attempt to take all of the money for himself after which Evans confronts him. At this point Colleen arrives and Evans shoots Vic in an attempt to conceal his guilt in the affair. He then hugs Colleen and tells her that it is all over. Colleen, now aware that both Vic and Evans were responsible for her brother's death then shoots Evans. Afterwards she and Frankie arrange Vic's and Evans' bodies to make it seem as though they had killed each other in a dispute over one of the cases of money. They then walk off with the other two cases of money and with their arms around each other.
stated that 'Frankie's slablike features and seedy-cool demeanor initially makes him just one outsized thug among many, but Payne gradually warms up the protagonist and balances nicely against Hawkes's scenery-chewing Joe Pesci
act'..
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
American
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
crime
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
/thriller film starring Bruce Payne
Bruce Payne
Bruce Martyn Payne is an award winning English character actor and producer and was a member of the 1980's Brit Pack. Although he is best known for his villainous roles, Bruce Payne has played characters across the spectrum...
and Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
. Kounterfeit was directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by John Mallory Asher
John Mallory Asher
John Mallory Asher is an American actor, director, writer and cinematographer.He is perhaps best known for his performance as Gary, on the USA Networks' series spinoff of the movie Weird Science.-Biography:...
and written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
by David Chase
David Chase
David Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...
, Katherine Fugate
Katherine Fugate
Katherine Fugate is an American film and television writer and producer.-Biography:Fugate is the creator of the TV series, Army Wives. She graduated with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from University of California, Riverside. Fugate and her aunt, the actress Barbara Eden, are direct descendants of...
and Jay Irwin.
Plot summary
A counterfeiter of money is attacked by two masked men and threatened to inform them where a certain amount of counterfeited money is. The counterfeiter pleads ignorance and is subsequently killed. Tommy 'Hopscotch' Hopkins, who has the money, learns of the death of the counterfeiter and begins to fear for his own safety. Consequently, he asks his friend, the street smart Frankie (who owns a strip club), to assist him in an exchange of the fake money for real money which he has organised with some acquaintances. Frankie reluctantly agrees to assist his friend.The two attend the venue of the exchange, which is the house of an undercover police officer, Danny who uses the alias Paco. Danny believes that he is being assisted by two FBI agents in order to arrest Frankie and Hopscotch. Instead the other two men shoot and kill Danny and attempt to kill Frankie and Hopscotch. Frankie manages to shoot the two men after they kill Danny and he and Hopscotch flee the house with the real and the fake money which is contained in three suitcases. Frankie also pulls some paper out of the jacket of one of the two purported FBI agents. The shootout is witnessed by Danny's sister Colleen, who was hiding in the house. Distraught, she mistakenly believes that Frankie killed her brother and provides the police with his description. After fleeing the scene, Frankie escorts Hopscotch to the house of the latter's brother, Marty. Frankie advises Hopscotch to lie low while he conjures up a plan of what to do with the money. Marty seems concerned that his brother is associating with someone like Frankie.
Colleen is comforted by the colleagues of her dead brother Danny, including his boss Captain Evans. He advises her that they will do whatever is necessary to find Danny's killers. The investigation into Danny's death is led by Vic, who is Colleen's former lover. It transpires that Vic had ended his relationship with Colleen acrimoniously years previously. Despite their troubled past, he spends time with Colleen to help her combat her grief. However, struggling to restrain her emotions, Colleen becomes frustrated with the investigation into her brother's death as she begins to believe that little progress is being made. As she persistently approaches Captain Evans, in a vexed mood, he advises her that they believe Danny was a 'dirty' cop, something which, based on her knowledge of her brother's character, she strenuously refutes. As a result, she loses faith with her brother's former colleagues and decides to conduct her own investigations. She manages to track down Frankie and asks to be allowed to perform at his strip club. He admits that she is pretty enough to do the job, but states that she ought to think it over before making any commitment.
Meanwhile, after Frankie is attacked by the two masked men who killed the counterfeiter, he and Hopscotch decide to bury the three suitcases of money in the desert to ensure that they are safe. After burying the money Hopscotch is killed and Frankie is forced to engage in a shootout with the killer. The killer is revealed to be one of the two masked men and Hopscotch's brother, Marty. Frankie persuades Marty to inform him of the identity of the other masked man who he soon learns is Vic. In a show of disloyalty, Vic kills Marty and requests that Frankie tell him of the whereabouts of the money. Frankie declines to do so and returns to his strip club, where in a private performance he watches Colleen audition for a job. Afterwards, Frankie takes Colleen to his apartment where they begin kissing. Suddenly, Colleen pulls out a gun and confronts Frankie about the death of her brother. Frankie is initially confused but then elucidates upon the events of the shoot out. He advises her that Danny appeared to trust the other two men who were in the room at his house when he was killed and that they turned on him. To convince Colleen that he is telling the truth he manipulates the gun so that Colleen only needs to pull the trigger in order to kill him.
Colleen believes Frankie and he escorts her to her car so that she can travel home. Vic sees Frankie and Colleen together and when Colleen is gone he advises Frankie to stay away from her. The next day Frankie visits Colleen and produces the piece of paper that he took from the purported FBI agent. The piece of paper is part of a map with directions on it in red ink. Frankie advises Colleen that he believes that Vic was involved in her brother's killing. He tells her to tell Vic's superiors in the police and take them to the desert. While Colleen travels to the police station, Frankie advises Vic that he has changed his mind and that he will share the money with him. Frankie and Vic drive to the desert where they dig up the cases with the money in. Meanwhile Colleen and Captain Evans arrive at the desert. Evans advises Colleen to wait in the car as he investigates. As he leaves in pursuit of Vic and Frankie, she finds the other half of the map on the dashboard of the car. Evans walks up a hill and sees Frankie and Vic with the cases of money. Vic manages to hit Frankie with a spade in an attempt to take all of the money for himself after which Evans confronts him. At this point Colleen arrives and Evans shoots Vic in an attempt to conceal his guilt in the affair. He then hugs Colleen and tells her that it is all over. Colleen, now aware that both Vic and Evans were responsible for her brother's death then shoots Evans. Afterwards she and Frankie arrange Vic's and Evans' bodies to make it seem as though they had killed each other in a dispute over one of the cases of money. They then walk off with the other two cases of money and with their arms around each other.
Main cast
- Bruce PayneBruce PayneBruce Martyn Payne is an award winning English character actor and producer and was a member of the 1980's Brit Pack. Although he is best known for his villainous roles, Bruce Payne has played characters across the spectrum...
as Frankie - Hilary SwankHilary SwankHilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
as Colleen - Corbin BernsenCorbin BernsenCorbin Dean Bernsen is an American actor and director, known for his work on television. He is best known for his roles as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series L.A. Law, and as retired police detective Henry Spencer on the USA Network comedy-drama series Psych...
as Marty Hopkins - Mark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
as Paco/Danny - Gil Bernardy as Counterfeiter
- Andrew Hawkes as Tommy 'Hopscotch' Hopkins
- Michael GrossMichael Gross (actor)Michael Gross is an American television, movie, and stage actor who plays both comedic and dramatic roles. His most notable roles are as the father Steven Keaton from Family Ties and the Graboid hunter Burt Gummer from the Tremors franchise.-Early life:Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son...
as Captain Evans - Rob Stewart as Vic
- Elizabeth GracenElizabeth GracenElizabeth Ward Gracen is an American actress who won the title of Miss America in 1982. She was born Elizabeth Grace Ward but should not be confused with another Elizabeth Ward who worked as a television actress during the first half of the 1980s....
as Bridgette - Ben Foster as Travis
- Doug McKeon as Patron
- Jay Irwin as Contact 1
- Brad James as Contact 2
Reception
The TV Guide website has given the film a rating of 2.5 out of 4. A reviewer for the TV GuideTV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
stated that 'Frankie's slablike features and seedy-cool demeanor initially makes him just one outsized thug among many, but Payne gradually warms up the protagonist and balances nicely against Hawkes's scenery-chewing Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
act'..