''Quicksand'' is a 2003

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

British-French-German co-produced

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

starring Michael Keaton and Michael Caine. The film was released in Germany,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, Sweden and Norway in 2003, in United States on 16 March 2004 and in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2004. ''Quicksand'' was filmed in South France between December 2000 and January 2001, originally set for a 2002 release.

Plot

Martin Raikes is an American bank investigator who is sent to

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

to check up on the suspicious financial dealings of a movie production. After the business trip, Martin, who is divorced, will fly to London to visit his daughter. Martin is met by the film company's CFO, Lela Forin, who introduces him to the movie's leading man, washed-up action star Jake Mellows. Something is rotten with the production, though, and Martin senses it. Unfortunately, he sticks his nose in a little too deep for the corrupt bankrollers' tastes, and is soon deemed a threat. Martin is first offered a mega-bribe, but he rejects it. As it turns out, the bankrollers are Russian mafia, led by Oleg Butraskaya. Martin suddenly finds himself framed for an assassination attempt, and the hostile authorities—on the payroll of the mob—want to kill him. American authorities are also hot on his trail, investigating him for money laundering, among other false charges. As Martin sifts through the mystery, he reveals the nefarious nature of Oleg's rackets, which include illegal pornography, kidnapping and money laundering. Not knowing whom to trust, he turns to Lela, but soon, she, too, is marked for death. Jake, who has gambling debts, is persuaded by Oleg to speak lines for the film that are actually used to make Martin believe the actor is holding Martin's daughter captive. After a fight between them, Martin and Jake join forces with Lela to stage an illusion during which Oleg incriminates himself to the law. Lela develops a new film project for Jake and a personal interest in Martin.

Cast

* Michael Keaton as Martin Raikes * Michael Caine as Jake Mellows * Judith Godreche as Lela Forin * Rade Šerbedžija as Oleg Butraskaya * Matthew Marsh as Michel Cote *

Xander Berkeley Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor and voice actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His film roles include '' Terminator 2: Judgment Da ...

as Joey Patterson *

Kathleen Wilhoite Kathleen Wilhoite (born June 29, 1964) is an American actress and musician. She made her feature film debut in ''Private School'' (1983) before having a leading role in '' Murphy's Law'' (1986), followed by supporting parts in '' Witchboard'' (a ...

as Beth Ann * Rachel Ferjani as Rachel *

Elina Löwensohn Elina Löwensohn (born 11 July 1966) is a Romanian-American actress. She had roles in the films ''Simple Men'' (1992), ''Schindler's List'' (1993), ''Amateur'' (1994), '' Nadja'' (1994) and '' The Wisdom of Crocodiles'' (1998). Life and career L ...

as Vannessa * Clare Thomas as Emma * Hermione Norris as Sarah * William Beck as Nicoli *

Jean-Yves Berteloot Jean-Yves Berteloot (born 27 August 1958) is a French actor. Theater Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berteloot, Jean-Yves 1958 births Living people People from Saint-Omer French male film actors French ma ...

as Vincent Deschamps * Jean-Pierre Castaldi as Jean Pillon *

Colin Stinton Colin Stinton (born March 10, 1947) is a Canadian actor. Early life Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1947, Stinton moved to the United States as a child in 1952. He lived in a trailer with his family—traveling throughout the U.S. and finall ...

as Harbinson * Bogdan E. Stanoevitch as Oleg's Driver * Paul O'Boyle as Close Cropped Man * Patrick Mazet as Detective *

Paul Birchard Paul Birchard is an American actor who lives in Finland. He has appeared in film, television, stage and radio productions, most notably as Bud in ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' with the Royal National Theatre, Ross in ''The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?'' at ...

as F.B.I. Man *

Bob Friend Robert Bartmess Friend (November 24, 1930 – February 3, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher between and , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A fou ...

as Newscaster * Sabrina Mongin as Nina * Axelle Behary as Tasha * Stéphane Lévêque as Desk Clerk * Jake Broder as Technician * Serge Soric as Scene Shifter Driver * Ivan Marevich as Scene Shifter Driver's Mate * Simon Smith as Mikhail * Herve Candy as First Slavic Girl * Aurelie Attyasse as Second Slavic Girl * Sebastian Barrio as First French Man * Pascal Saint-James as Second French Man * Stephan Chrisz as Second French Man (Look Alike) * Didier Casnati (uncredited) as Himself

Release

''Quicksand'' was released in Germany,

, Sweden and Norway on 13 May 2003, in the United States on 16 March 2004 and in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2004.

Filming

''Quicksand'' was filmed in South France between December 2000 and January 2001, originally set for a 2002 release.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 2003 films 2003 crime thriller films 2003 direct-to-video films 2000s English-language films American crime thriller films Artisan Entertainment films British chase films British crime thriller films Direct-to-video crime films Direct-to-video thriller films English-language French films English-language German films Films scored by Anthony Marinelli Films about kidnapping Films about assassinations Films about filmmaking Films about miscarriage of justice Films directed by John Mackenzie (film director) Films set in France Films set in Monaco French crime thriller films German crime thriller films 2000s American films 2000s British films 2000s French films 2000s German films