Meanwhile, Nicky is interrogated by Interpol Agent Bick, aided by the informer Sam Winters, seeking a famous Seurat painting.

Paddy explains that a priceless historical book, the second one printed on the Gutenberg press, needs to be stolen from a customs warehouse, with a 1.5 million dollar payout.

Then Guy, posing as an official art appraiser replacement for Paddy's ex Olga, sneaks in the book replica, makes the swap, and leaves with the real one.

This story inspires Nicky to persuade Crunch to forge duplicates to sell to multiple buyers, netting them several times the original payout.

The website's critical consensus reads: "It boasts a terrific cast led by the always-watchable Kurt Russell and Terence Stamp, but The Art of the Steal wastes its stars on a formulaic plot that borrows too obviously from superior heist pictures.

[9] Justin Chang of Variety wrote, "This lightly amusing heist-movie riff feels as disposable as the numerous counterfeit paintings that exchange hands throughout.

[12] Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The actors give it punch, but in the grand scheme of caper comedies, The Art of the Steal is more breathlessly imitative than authentic.

"[13] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "It’s like a low-budget, Canadian version of Ocean's 11, with about half as many characters and about one-tenth the charm and style.

"[14] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated it 3/5 stars and called it a "heist caper with a swinging-60s feel" with "a lovable-rogue crew of triple-crossers, every one of whom may be scamming the others.

"[15] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph rated it 2/5 stars and called it a "contrived crime caper" that "borrows from the Guy Ritchie stylebook".

wrote, "The Art of the Steal is a good example of criminal misdirection though: by the time you realize these slick images are completely empty, your money will already be gone.