Shooting Fish is a 1997 British romantic crime comedy film directed by Stefan Schwartz and co-written with Richard Holmes, starring Dan Futterman and Stuart Townsend as two con men with Kate Beckinsale as their unwilling assistant.

Shooting Fish aimed to transfer well to international markets that were keen on British films following the success of Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Dylan (Dan Futterman) and Jez (Stuart Townsend) are two orphans who meet in their twenties and vow to achieve their shared childhood dream of living in a stately home.

When the guys get out she comes clean and they hatch another plan which will see the horse win a big race allowing them to charge stud fees.

The 'soft comedic focus' however had been a deliberate plan by the production team who wanted to avoid the socio-political realism in comedies like Brassed Off and The Full Monty.

[citation needed] A Time Out review (1997) said, "A succession of cameos provides light relief, and the film's saved by the amiable performances of Futterman, Beckinsale and, especially, Townsend.

The era of Britpop was at its height and this was reflected in a stylish and striking array of tracks for a light comedy film: The original 112-minute version of Shooting Fish was released on VHS in the UK in 1998, running to 107 minutes[8] due to PAL speed-up.

This is apparently the US cinema version, having removed some scenes and dialogue aimed more specifically at British audiences (such as some references to Margaret Thatcher).