Jing Ai Ng’s Forge wastes no time easing the audience in. It drops you straight into the shady mechanics of the art trade, a world of quick handshakes, quiet reputations, and paintings that change identities faster than their owners. That opening is sharp and confident, almost deceptively so, because once the initial jolt fades, the film settles into a long stretch of careful setup that never quite regains that early intensity.