Frauds (1993) User Reviews

A refreshing, oddball little film! Phil Collins in a fine film role!

[HenryHextonEsq · 7/10 · 13 December 2001]

Coming across this late at night on ITV1 was quite a find really. I had heard of it, and the idea of Phil Collins as a demented villain did appeal. I really liked the oddball quality of it all, with Collins wonderful as a jovial, buffoonish grinner, treading the line between menace and absurdity in portraying one Roland Copping, who one might call a tad eccentric. The lunacy and non-sequiturs build up very effectively in the middle of the film; perhaps the tone might have been made a little more dark, or perhaps less light, presumably with different, less jaunty music.

Maybe it tails off slightly, but the ending somehow seems to me a gem. The absurdism isn't compromised by a happy ending, it is strengthened by a subtle, fitting conclusion.

I wouldn't say this was a perfect film, but it is damn enjoyable, far from the mainstream and never bland. The sets, by the way, for Copping's house, are fab; just thought I had to add that!

Rating:- *** 1/2/*****

Weirdly entertaining

[tom-73771 · 7/10 · 23 August 2021]

I had a vague memory of this film from my childhood and it was a lot of fun to revisit it a couple of decades later. It has a bizarre aesthetic and some seriously wooden acting (particularly in the early scenes), but once Phil Collins enters the action, the film hits its sweet spot in the second act before going off the rails towards the end. The characters all make weird, bonehead decisions, which is infuriating because the end product could have been so much better. Still, I enjoyed the brazen bizarreness of it all and for originality alone it scores in the positive. Incidentally you can (at the time of writing this review) watch it for free on YouTube.

Neon fun house of sadism ...........

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 20 January 2014]

"Frauds" is a well acted, weirdly entertaining sadistic fun house ride. Phil Collins, who quite frankly can quickly wear thin, uses that annoyance to full advantage while putting the squeeze on husband and wife Hugo Weaving and Josephine Byrnes. Insurance fraud leads to blackmail and a living nightmare in the form of insurance investigator, Collins. The most intriguing part of "Frauds" is most definitely Collins's neon lit fun house where he resides. That imaginative set piece drives this film. If only it had concluded in a more satisfying manner. The resolution is indeed the weakest part of an otherwise winning movie. - MERK

Weird mix that doesn't totally work

[bob the moo · 17 December 2001]

Beth comes home to find a burglar in her home. During a struggle she kills him and is later cleared of manslaughter. However insurance investigator Roland Copping begins to look into the case looking for fraud. He eventually finds a fraud by Beth's husband Jonathon and begins to blackmail the couple in a game where the stakes continually rise.

This is an Australian comedy - oops! immediate turn off for me. And it stars Phil Collins - double oops. Whenever I see Phil Collins in a film my immediate assumption is that they couldn't get Bob Hoskins. This really needed to do something special to win me over. And for the first half it does - the robbery scenes are good and then Collins uncovering the fraud is very interesting. However the second half is all a bit daft - Collin's living in an unlikely toy-store house with a range of gadgets and Jonathon being drawn into a deadly game. It has it's moments but the second half is a bit silly.

The cast are mixed. Collins is not a great actor and hams it up - however here the film so overdone that his style almost fits.....almost. His childhood is not well enough explored and instead we are treated to fancy sets and fantasy sequences that aren't set in any context. Byrnes is good as the harassed wife but Hugo Weaving is lost with a stretched role where he has to jump from gentle husband to being on the same level as Collins.

Overall the first half is quite interesting - you don't totally know what's going on in every situation. However the second half is a bit silly and Collins loses any believability as a character. It's a little entertaining but the colourful child-like set takes away much of the dark mystery of the first half.

A roll of the dice, the viewer looses

[digifan3162001 · 3/10 · 22 June 2006]

When Roland Copping was a child, he rolled the dice with a stipulation that if its his number, his brother would have to ride on a river. If its his brother's, then he'll write it. A roll of the dice later, Copping's brother inadvertently did a header off a water fall and has been in a catatonic state ever since.

As for Roland, he becomes a claims investigator and, sure enough, with every roll of the dice, he is a menace to those ranging from his neighbors and passer byes, to the very people he's investigating. And why is this? Simple... his numbers came up.

Hitchcock always had a motive for his villains, Stephin King even wrote reasons why his insane creatures and villains did what they did, Roland Copping chooses to be a jerk because... of a roll of the dice. That's it. This somehow is to explain why he keeps harassing the main characters in this movie, despite the fact that he defraud them and disproved their false claim, he STILL went after them. He went as far as to take their BMW just so he could rig up a remote control to it to harm a passer by.

Maybe I'm not getting something, and if I'm not somebody explain it to me, but this movie made no sense. I only give it a three because Collins surprised me with his acting chops (Haven't seen Buster yet) and can play a jerk very well. I just wish it made some sense.

A very interesting movie!

[adrianlcampbell · 10/10 · 30 January 2007]

By far this is one of my favorite movies. It is so different than the norm that Hollywood puts out. I came across it one morning on one of the movie channels. I watched the last 45 minutes of it, but was so intrigued I had to track down the movie. I finally found a copy on the PAL system, got it and had it transfered over to VHS. This was a few years ago. I wish they would release it on to DVD.

Phil Collins gives a wonderful performance, he needs to do more movies roles. Hugo Weaving is also a delight to watch, it is different to see him in a non-action role. I recommend this movie to anyone who is lucky to come across it.

Frauds....A winner to me

[schofy · 8/10 · 13 March 2011]

I realise the first thing people who look at this movie will think 2 things. Australia and Phil Collins grumble, grumble, grumble...Well I watched this film in as best an objective observer as I could be. I like Phil Collins as a musician, I say like, I mean I really like, but however if I thought he was awful I would say so. Sure this film was not going to win an Oscar, But it's clever, Quirky and the humour is darkly rich. The 3 leads are excellent, All border line madness as their worlds collapse around them at various moments. I really enjoyed this film and also goes to show that not only do you not have to spent mega bucks on a good wacky thriller but keep your eyes peeled, The uk and USA don't have the rights anymore on making appealing movies. Rent it, Buy it, Watch it, It will make a good Saturday night :)

Enjoyable...

[vishakbt1 · 10/10 · 15 July 2011]

I watched this movie late one night on TV when i had nothing else to do..The character of Phil Collins is particularly interesting as the enigmatic insurance investigator who keeps tormenting his clients just because of the outcome of a roll of dice! It was the ending that made me want to find out more about this movie..Hugo Weaving is amazing too.. Some things to look forward to are... interesting sets like Roland's home, a good story, good acting and a completely bizarre ending.This movie is not for children. Watch it if you are bored of traditional movies.It's in the league of The Cell or The Fall.It's indeed a very unique and strange movie but remember don't watch this when high...

Amazing Movie That Will Turn The Tables On Every Assumption

[uncaringconch · 10/10 · 25 December 2021]

This movie is amazing. Very underrated and great actors. I had no idea Phil Collins could be such a diverse actor. I had to be told it was bc I couldn't believe it. This is a movie to not look away from. Definitely a diamond in the rough. And I love how these other comments say such great things and then talk about how they think the story is dumb. This is a story of scammers... imagine ever applying for insurance. This may be eccentric but all too real in a messed up way of our bs normal ppl deal with. Like if you got in an accident.. This is what your mind is going through while you IRL deal with it.. AMAZING MOVIE 10 outta 10.

a real gem of a movie and an excellent performance by Phil Collins

[malcolm-mcewen · 9/10 · 16 July 2021]

This is weird but wonderful movie that you are going to either love or hate. Phil Collins plays the role of Roland Copping, a creepy twisted insurance assessor with an evil sense of humour, really well. In fact the acting by all is good and would highly recommend you get the popcorn in and enjoy the fun of a movie that threatens to be scarier than it is.