Frauds (Stephan Elliott, 1993) wr. Stephan Elliott; comedy; Phil Collins, Hugo Weaving, Josephine Byrnes, Colleen Clifford, Vincent Ball; story of the ways in which insurance investigator Roland Copping (Collins) interferes in and manipulates the lives of others with outrageous games and gimmicks; eventually he becomes involved in an escalating vendetta with a couple (Jonathan and Beth Wheat, Hugo Weaving and Josephine Byrne) who make an unusual insurance claim; surrealistic black comedy
Chris Willman:
There does finally appear to be a point to all of writer-director Stephan Elliott's weary mayhem--something about boys who never grow up, since Weaving, the blackmailed husband, turns out to have just as much frustrated kid in him as Collins. But any critique of games-playing male juvenility is a tad hypocritical for a film as self-impressed by its own garishness. Los Angeles Times.
Variety:
First-time director Stephan Elliott breaks a lot of the rules with his wayward first feature, Frauds, cheerfully mixing suspense with comic-strip comedy. Pic boasts a top-flight performance from Phil Collins as a con-man insurance investigator with a childlike sense of humor.
as above
Garry Gillard | New: 24 January, 2022 | Now: 26 May, 2023