Even though they play off our lowly, mischievous natures heist films can be fun. The trick is to make the outlaws as digestible as possible, give them plenty of snappy dialog and keeps them from appear too criminal. In tandem with this, make those who the thieves are stealing from more plainly evil and "deserving" of having their toys taken away. This film sets this structure up by showing the thieves as a gaggle of inexperienced klutzes and their victims as hyper-powerful sexual deviants.

The heist portions of the film are interesting but far too brief. The sexual deviant and political maneuvering elements are too prominent and gratuitous. This leads to a stumbling story that can't decide which direction it wants to focus. At the center of this wandering mess is Jason Statham who is a charismatic anchor dragging along the bottom of this sea of narrative tangents looking for something to snag. He once again shows he's a solid leading man but his performance can't overcome the poor script.

Ultimately, this is a fast-food version of Guy Ritchie.


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Labels: bank heist, film, Jason Statham, movie review, Saffron Burrows