Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence, some disturbing images and brief strong language.
Directed by Nimrod Antal (Vacancy)
Starring Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne and Skeet Ulrich
Hey Hollywood, please green light more Nimrod Antal movies!
The war veteran, Ty Hackett (Columbus Short), is hired to work as security guard by the Eagle Shield Security where his old friend Mike Cochroone (Matt Dillon) works. Ty is having financial difficulties after the death of his father, and is raising his brother Jimmy alone. He teams up with Mike's brother-in-law, Baines (Laurence Fishburne), and their coworkers Quinn (Jean Reno), Palmer (Amaury Nolasco) and Dobbs (Skeet Ulrich). One night, Mike invites Ty to join in the robbery of two armored trucks transporting forty-two million dollars. The reluctant Ty accepts after Mike promises that nobody would be hurt in the heist.
Honestly I expected very little from this film. I vaguely remembered the trailer – I knew it was a typical heist gone bad film but that was about it. About 10 minutes in I turned to my wife and said, “I can’t believe this cast.” Seriously, Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Skeet Ulrich, Amaury Nolasco (from Prison Break) and Milo Ventimiglia (from Heroes). Not to mention (the relatively new) Columbus Short who definitely was able to hold his own amidst the stellar cast.
Nimrod Antal does a great job of telling this gritty heist story. Everything from the sweat and dirt to the gunshot wounds feels real…sometimes too real. Like when Dobbs gets his hand busted – not only did I jump…but I grabbed my own hand.
1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Nimrod Antal certainly understands that and was able to flesh that verse out. The conversations you can have with students about greed after watching this film are endless.
Nimrod Antal is a talented director, the cast is amazing, the story is gritty and it all comes together perfectly. I’m still surprised how much I enjoyed it – Its Theater Worthy!
PS. I just watched the trailer for the new Predator movie that Nimrod Antal is directing…yeah I’ll be there.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
This one is not a clear cut yes or no. Sure there’s violence, blood and disturbing images, but the moral story that is told is legit and case studies could be done on each character. I think it would be fine for most teenagers.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
