One of cinema’s most revered filmmakers, Stanley Kubrick directed such classics as Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange, the last three being named in the AFI’s top 100 films of all time. His renowned perfectionism saw his output slow considerably in the 1980’s, and after Full Metal Jacket Kubrick all but disappeared from public view. That is apart from his time promoting a chain of restaurants, managing a rock band and launching the Vegas career of a British seaside entertainer. At least that’s what British con-man Alan Conway would have you believe.

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Written by Kubrick’s personal assistant, who had been repeatedly contacted by victims of Conway’s scams, Color Me Kubrick is a fragmented film held together by John Malkovich’s delightful performance. Contributing to the comedic sense of farce is the fact that the actor, like the con-man, looks nothing like the director and constantly slips in and out of a dreadful American accent. Despite this, and the fact that Conway seems to barely know anything about Kubrick, his sheer audacity sees him literally dine out on the director’s reputation.  

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With none-too subtle references to Kubrick’s work peppered throughout, the film is best enjoyed as a piece of light-hearted fun, despite having at its core a pathetic, dishevelled, alcoholic bereft of funds and morals. Shrewdly offsetting this potential dilemma, Color Me Kubrick portrays his victims as gullible fools whose embarrassment avoids them seeking compensation for their financial losses. It's only afterwards you realise you’ve been conned.