Greetings again from the darkness. Heist movies are a staple film genre that we can depend on to deliver plot twists, back-stabbing and misdirection. The best ones can make us chuckle along the way as we try to keep up, knowing full well we are a step behind.
The movie begins with a bit too much voice over from Kurt Russell's character Crunch Calhoun. We learn that Crunch is a wheel man for a group of art thieves, and he has recently been double-crossed by his brother Nicky (Matt Dillon). After serving his sentence in a Polish prison, Crunch becomes a stunt performer on motorcycles who makes a few extra bucks creating spectacular crashes for the spectators.
As you would expect, Crunch is soon enough drawn back into the world of stealing art ... for the proverbial one last job. As the old gang assembles, it's clear Crunch still doesn't trust brother Nicky. But his need for money compels him to participate.
Writer/director Jonathan Sobol has solid instincts but would have definitely benefited from a script doctor, and more importantly, someone to stand up and rescue the mega-mismatch of Jason Jones and Terence Stamp. Stamp is sadly underutilized here, though the film's best scene has he and Russell facing off in an airport. Too bad the film couldn't find a way to match these two up a couple more times.
The stylish direction would have been more effective if the stabs at snappy dialogue had been just a tad bit funnier and crisper. Baruchel helps with this some, and Russell still knows how to deliver a line, but this is not in the same class as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or The Usual Suspects. Heck, it's not even Ocean's Eleven. Still, despite all the things it's not ... it does provide some decent entertainment during the winter doldrums of movie releases.
It also gets bonus points for a creative use of Roy Orbison's "In Dreams", and for having a Canadian filmmaker's use of the line "Canada is America-lite".
The movie begins with a bit too much voice over from Kurt Russell's character Crunch Calhoun. We learn that Crunch is a wheel man for a group of art thieves, and he has recently been double-crossed by his brother Nicky (Matt Dillon). After serving his sentence in a Polish prison, Crunch becomes a stunt performer on motorcycles who makes a few extra bucks creating spectacular crashes for the spectators.
As you would expect, Crunch is soon enough drawn back into the world of stealing art ... for the proverbial one last job. As the old gang assembles, it's clear Crunch still doesn't trust brother Nicky. But his need for money compels him to participate.
Writer/director Jonathan Sobol has solid instincts but would have definitely benefited from a script doctor, and more importantly, someone to stand up and rescue the mega-mismatch of Jason Jones and Terence Stamp. Stamp is sadly underutilized here, though the film's best scene has he and Russell facing off in an airport. Too bad the film couldn't find a way to match these two up a couple more times.
The stylish direction would have been more effective if the stabs at snappy dialogue had been just a tad bit funnier and crisper. Baruchel helps with this some, and Russell still knows how to deliver a line, but this is not in the same class as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or The Usual Suspects. Heck, it's not even Ocean's Eleven. Still, despite all the things it's not ... it does provide some decent entertainment during the winter doldrums of movie releases.
It also gets bonus points for a creative use of Roy Orbison's "In Dreams", and for having a Canadian filmmaker's use of the line "Canada is America-lite".