Incognito (1997)

Art is a contrivance. Even at its best, a painting or a story arranges and distorts reality in order to impose the viewpoint of the author. What then of the forgery, the counterfeit art that is created not with the intent of expressing the painter’s vision, but of duplicating the look of a past master? Is the fake Rembrandt a piece of crap, even if it draws admiration and awe from experts who have been taken in by its artifice? Hand it to Incognito (1998) director John Badham and star Jason Patric. They can start with such theoretical musings and build upon them a crime thriller with a sexy dark edge. That’s art and entertainment.