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MysteryDramaAdventure

The Scapegoat

- Two men, one face.

In 1952, as England prepares for the coronation, two very different men have one thing in common—a face.

Release Date : 2012-09-09

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Island Pictures

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Matthew Rhys

Character Name : John / Johnny

Original Name : Matthew Rhys

Gender : Male

Jodhi May

Character Name : Blanche

Original Name : Jodhi May

Gender : Female

Eileen Atkins

Character Name : Lady Spence

Original Name : Eileen Atkins

Gender : Female

Sheridan Smith

Character Name : Nina

Original Name : Sheridan Smith

Gender : Female

Andrew Scott

Character Name : Paul

Original Name : Andrew Scott

Gender : Male

Phoebe Nicholls

Character Name : Charlotte

Original Name : Phoebe Nicholls

Gender : Female

Anton Lesser

Character Name : Father McReady

Original Name : Anton Lesser

Gender : Male

Eloise Webb

Character Name : Mary Lou

Original Name : Eloise Webb

Gender : Female

Pip Torrens

Character Name : George

Original Name : Pip Torrens

Gender : Male

Ian Mercer

Character Name : Fincher

Original Name : Ian Mercer

Gender : Male

Julian Wadham

Character Name : Headmaster

Original Name : Julian Wadham

Gender : Male

Richard Ridings

Character Name : Landlord

Original Name : Richard Ridings

Gender : Male

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-08-07

The competent actor that is Matthew Rhys plays his own doppelgänger in this initially intriguing but ultimately rather flat thriller set in the UK just before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. "Standing" is a teacher who spends a night on the lash with his stunt double "Spence" - a man he had never seen before he bumped into randomly. Awakening next morning with a thick head, he finds "Spence" has fled taking his own identity with him. Before he has much chance to think things through, he finds himself subsumed into the identity of the other man - a wealthy, family man with plenty of skeletons in his closet. Was this all a stitch up? Is he being played? Well "Standing" has no way of knowing unless he immerses himself in his new life and hope that he can get to the truth before he is rumbled. Now I don't know about you, but if my husband came home one evening but he was his own identical twin I like to think I'd still be able to tell the difference? What also makes the premiss of this a bit persistently questionable is the ease with which he manages to impersonate a man about whom he knows nothing. I'm all for thinking on your feet, but this verges a bit too much on the preposterous and as it continued I really did lose interest. It does look good and presents a solid cast including Dame Eileen Atkins, Phoebe Nicholls and the usually reliable Anton Lesser, but for me the story hit the skids of far-fetchedness after about half an hour and left me largely disinterested.