As one of the largest West Coast merchandise distributors, Zhao Jack and his wife Erin had received invitations to the premiere and attended as well.
From the moment Edo Dash began recalling the past and telling the story, the couple whispered to each other, discussing and speculating on the plot.
Previously, Gilbert had said this film was very brain-twisting, which had led many fans astray. Zhao Jack and Erin were no exception, constantly guessing where the story might go.
However, as the plot unfolded, it completely exceeded their expectations, diverging entirely from their guesses.
"So Edo and Mary had known each other for a long time. Both are painters, but Mary is more gifted while Edo can only imitate," Zhao Jack said, reflecting on the first half of the flashback story, a hint of admiration in his voice.
Erin had a different perspective: "Is it possible they aren't that connected?"
"Not connected?" Zhao Jack asked in surprise. "Then why would Mary bail Edo out?"
"That, I'm not sure about yet. We'll have to see how the story develops," Erin shook her head.
She felt that this Mary was different from the Mary in the flashback. Although both were played by Charlize Theron, the aura was distinct.
This Mary lacked the artistic temperament of the flashback Mary, and temperament often manifests as a subtle feeling.
Erin's perception was keen, likely due to her interest in fine arts.
Nearby, a fan interrupted the couple's discussion: "Shh, quiet—watch the movie."
Zhao Jack and Erin immediately gestured to focus on the film, stopping their debate.
In the first half of the flashback, Edo and Mary were a couple, both street artists. But Mary was quickly noticed by an art agent. To not hinder her future, Edo approached the agent on her behalf.
To comfort Mary, he lied, claiming one of his paintings had been purchased by a gallery. In truth, he worked for a shady studio specializing in forging paintings, which Mary eventually discovered.
This part of the story was loosely connected to the film's main theme, primarily illustrating Edo and Mary's relationship.
At this point, Erin guessed that Tom Cruise's character would appear.
Sure enough, the forger's boss sold one of Edo's fake paintings to someone, and that person was Richard Duke, played by Tom Cruise.
When Tom Cruise appeared, his aura immediately contrasted sharply with Tom Hanks' Edo Dash from earlier.
Leonardo DiCaprio summarized it perfectly: "This Richard Duke—whether as a villain or a hero, he dominates."
Indeed, but the final plot twist would likely surprise Leo.
According to the boss, Richard Duke found Edo Dash while Edo accompanied Mary to her first-ever art exhibition.
Dustin Hoffman also appeared, resulting in a single scene featuring four Academy Award winners, thrilling the fans in the theater.
Although there were no gunfights or large-scale action sequences so far, the film captivated viewers completely.
Perhaps this was the charm of such esteemed actors—their outstanding performances drew fans fully into the story.
After seeing Tom Cruise's character, Drake immediately suspected he was the unseen mastermind of the painter gang.
Yet Drake sensed that things were likely more complex than they appeared.
If the plot were this straightforward, it wouldn't be so brain-twisting. Given Gilbert's style, the truth they had witnessed was probably just a façade.
But with so little evidence, Drake couldn't substantiate his theory.
Erin shared the same thought but, seeing everyone else immersed in the film, didn't dare speak up to discuss it with Zhao Jack.
Still, she sensed that the upcoming plot would be astonishing.
Director Gilbert's storytelling was extraordinary. Without overly dramatic moments, his narration alone kept viewers glued to the screen.
In the film, Edo Dash chased after Mary to apologize to Richard Duke, but Richard Duke didn't care about it at all.
He only wanted to discuss Edo's forged painting, and they engaged in an enjoyable conversation.
Richard Duke admired Edo's talent for forging and offered him a job.
However, the specifics of the work were not disclosed.
"Making counterfeit bills, perhaps?"
"Probably. Forging currency is still forging."
Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Connelly looked puzzled, each trying to validate their guesses.
As expected, Edo returned to the exhibition and burned the painting lacking soul in front of Mary, ending their relationship.
He approached the painter, asking what he should replicate. The painter handed him a U.S. bill: "I want you to copy this."
Unable to refuse, Edo joined the painter gang and met its other members.
The following scenes depicting the counterfeit bill production were thrilling, sending an unexpected rush of excitement through the audience.
This created a full immersion effect, drawing viewers into the story.
Films about counterfeiting weren't new. The most famous example was Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.
DiCaprio's Frank Abagnale forged checks while Hanks' FBI agent Carl Hanratty pursued him, focusing on their clever rivalry rather than the technical details of forging.
In The False, however, Tom Hanks switched roles from an FBI agent to a member of the counterfeiting operation, assisting the painter in producing counterfeit bills.
The bills depicted were 1996-issued U.S. dollars, then considered impossible to replicate.
Yet in 1997, a Canadian gang reproduced them but was caught due to internal conflicts.
Before the premiere, this true story had already circulated during promotion, giving The False a realistic foundation. Thus, the bill-forging sequences appeared highly authentic.
In fact, the production team did even more to support the release.
For example, before the film's release, media reported that the FBI had urgently inspected the movie and confiscated the counterfeit bills made during filming.
The FBI's reasoning was that the depiction of bill forgery was so realistic that criminals might learn the technique.
In reality, the FBI wasn't genuinely concerned; their involvement was just a publicity stunt to attract attention.
Moreover, the FBI couldn't come out to deny it either, since they had already been involved in the publicity and even contributed donations beforehand.
So when audiences saw the almost perfectly realistic counterfeiting scenes, nearly everyone's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
No wonder the FBI conducted the inspection. If criminals had learned from it, there could have been a flood of counterfeit bills in circulation.
The thorough depiction of the entire counterfeiting process elevated The False's appeal to an entirely new level.
But this was only part of the story. To produce the color-changing ink, Richard Duke committed a crime in Canada. Matt Damon, playing a Canadian detective, also noticed the painter gang.
Leonardo DiCaprio was extremely jealous when Matt Damon appeared on screen.
He said to Damon, "I'm so envious that you get to participate in such an amazing film."
Matt Damon smiled and explained, "Leo, I heard from Gilbert that since you and Tom Hanks already starred in Catch Me If You Can, they didn't want to invite you for a cameo."
"Fuck," Leo muttered, resigned to missing the opportunity.
This film looked incredibly thrilling—truly exhilarating.
The realistic interrogation scenes in the movie confirmed Erin's suspicions. Mary was not heartbroken that Edo Dash had gone down a dark path, nor was she mourning her deceased fiancé.
Instead, she regretted that she and Edo Dash had not continued together and believed that all of this was the painter's fault.
The police also began identity verification but had yet to locate the painter named Richard Duke.
Edo Dash's flashback continued. Due to the Canadian case, he considered quitting and told Richard Duke he would leave after completing the color-changing ink.
During this period, Richard Duke used the two barrels of stolen ink to produce counterfeit bills, and the gang earned a substantial profit.
The final stop for the painter gang's transactions was in Colombia, where they dealt with a local warlord. Among the warlord's group was a counterfeiting expert; apparently, the warlord also wanted to produce fake money.
However, the difficulty of replicating the new bills was too high, and he failed.
At that point, Edo Dash successfully produced the color-changing ink. Richard Duke was extremely pleased with his work and rewarded Edo Dash by purchasing a hotel in Europe for him.
Edo Dash thought he could finally quit and go to Mary, but reality proved otherwise.
The subsequent scenes were entirely reminiscent of Rambo or Ethan Hunt from Mission: Impossible.
During the transaction with the warlord, because of the warlord's greed and old grudges, Richard Duke eliminated the warlord and wreaked havoc in his camp.
Edo Dash struggled and screamed in terror. The counterfeiting expert among the warlord's group, a woman, was injured and disfigured.
During the retreat, Edo Dash took the counterfeiting expert with him.
"This scene is way over the top," some fans remarked.
Having seen Gilbert's The Rock, they knew that story involved an entire special forces team. Here, it was only a few people, and Edo Dash was supposed to be completely incapable of fighting.
However, some fans speculated differently: "Perhaps this scene is fabricated by Edo Dash. Or maybe Richard Duke colluded with another warlord faction to eliminate this group."
Though somewhat exaggerated, the gunfight allowed audiences to recognize familiar Tom Cruise vibes and evoked the feeling of The Rock.
Next came the scene that would truly blow the audience's minds.
The rescued counterfeiting expert, now disfigured, underwent cosmetic surgery funded by Edo Dash. When her face appeared in the mirror, it was Mary.
The theater erupted in astonishment. Observant fans like Erin had long suspected that the Mary who bailed out Edo Dash was unusual, and now their suspicions were confirmed.
Richard Duke even provided her with a fake passport under the name Mary Kassart.
"My God," Erin exclaimed. "This is incredible. I guessed a little, but I never imagined the film would be this audacious."
Zhao Jack was already perplexed: "So this Mary is fake?"
"Yes," Erin explained simply. "Up until now, except for the Mary in the first half of the flashback, the rest are all fake."
Zhao Jack didn't know Chinese idioms, otherwise he would have praised Erin for her cleverness.
However, Erin had still simplified the story in her mind. This level of plot twist was too predictable to be considered truly brilliant.
Gilbert hinted that there would be even bigger twists ahead.
....
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