The striking concept for Incognito, dealing with artistic forgeries, should have secured the film a higher rating. Alas, the great Dutch painter Rembrandt may be looking down from the heavens in dismay. This picture represents the kind of technical copout only seen when the director -- in this case, John Badham -- works outside of his comfort zone while lacking the necessary talent to do so.

The creation of a lost Rembrandt portrait works as the film’s finest sequence, although it utterly fails to inspire Badham’s work in other areas. Tacking on a sugar-coated climax only adds to the falsehood. Jason Patric doesn’t even try to convey any emotion with his character, Harry Donovan. As a result, his shallow performance simply makes you wonder what Andy Garcia or Richard Gere might have done with the role.

Despite claims by Filmtracks reviewer Christian Clemmensen that composer John Ottman pulls off his best score, one cannot help but yearn for the melodic simplicity of The Usual Suspects (1995). The difference between the two films is that the latter demonstrates Ottman’s skill at being enigmatic and dark, while Incognito feels merely inventive for its own sake.

Overall, Incognito seems undercooked, a by-product of poor decisions in the editing room. (Capsule review)

(Released by Warner Bros. Pictures and rated "R" for language, violence and brief sexuality.)