(2024) Cash Out - Definitely not the Best Heist Movie Out There

Last night there was no new movie that interest me on the streaming services, except for series that would take longer to complete. So I decided to give this film a try. It did not play in many studios but it did play in one near our home. Like usual, for movies that are not really convincing, I would see it by myself while my wife would continue watching other things. OK, let's get started then.

Brief Story Line

Mason (John Travolta - The Poison Rose, Hairspray etc) was an infamous criminal who was trying to do a bank heist with his crew that consisted of his younger brother Shawn (Lukas Haas - War of the Worlds TV series, The Violent Heart etc), Anton (rapper Quavo), Hector (Noel G - The Fast and the Furious etc) and Link (Natali Yura - The Row etc). However all the plans fell apart and what started as a simple robbery would develop into a hostage situation.

Things got complicated when FBI was involved and they assigned negotiator Amelia (Kristin Davis - Deadly Illusions, Deck the Halls etc) who happened to be Mason's ex girlfriend. 

So how would the story conclude? You could find out in this movie.

End of Brief Story Line

Well to be honest, I did not expect much from this movie as from the trailer I saw few weeks earlier it did not seem promising. However I was willing to give it a try since it starred John Travolta and heist was something that always intrigued me. Sadly though it did not truly deliver. The opening sequence was already shown clearly in the trailer so no surprises there. But I was hoping at least the heist would be amazing. Too bad it was too simple and not really satisfying.

From the trailer it seemed to have some actions and I thought it would be intense. Turned out it was not suspenseful at all. In fact the heist felt like romantic comedy with the banter between Mason and Amy and their obvious attraction with each other still apparent despite in the opposite side of the law. Not to mention the crew did not seem to have specific awesome expertise, except for Link who at least showed incredible talent in hacking. It was very clear that they relied heavily on Mason's leadership which I did not think as wise since we would not have any attachment to the member of the crews. 

Anyway, the action was very little here and the final twist was not very surprising and frankly a bit predictable. Not that I think it would be possible, but I was hoping it could at least give me a nice surprise. Well, should have known better. The movie only had duration of 92 minutes that did not have any mid or end credit scene. To my disbelief, I read that the film had a sequel made last year by the same director Ives (Randall Emmett) whose credits including directing the heavily criticized Midnight in the Switchgrass starring Bruce Willis. I guess he was convinced that this movie would be a huge success.

Overall this was a movie that fell short of my minimum expectation. The premise might be interesting with a criminal who had to negotiate with his former girlfriend in the FBI, but unfortunately the execution was not satisfying. The heist was not extraordinary and done by a crew of people who did not seem convincing in their work. And there was a rather ridiculous scene before the climax which I thought should have been done earlier by the special forces. The only good thing was at least John Travolta seemed to enjoy his role here, although Kristin Davis was not too great. So if you are looking for good quality & complex heist movie, better avoid this. But if you still want to give it a try, you will need to manage your expectation.

Mike's movie moments rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars