Brief Story Line
An intelligent jewel thief who went by the name Mike (Chris Hemsworth - Transformers One, Extraction etc) had been doing various robberies without using violence and always managed to escape via route 101. Detective Lou Lebinsky (Mark Ruffalo - Mickey 17, Dark Waters etc) from LAPD was able to link the robberies done by Mike who he dubbed as lone wolf, although his partner Tillman (Corey Hawkins - 6 Underground, The Color Purple etc) and other colleagues were skeptical about his theory.
After his latest job, Mike decided to work on another heist that would involve an insurance broker Sharon (Halle Berry - The Union, Kidnap etc). However it proved to be challenging with the disappointment of Mike's fence nicknamed Money (Nick Nolte - The Mandalorian TV series, The Prince of Tides etc) who assigned a violent robber named Ormon (Barry Keoghan - Eternals, Masters of the Air TV series etc) to keep tab on Mike. Meanwhile Mike also started to have relationship with Maya (Monica Barbaro - FUBAR TV series, A Complete Unknown etc) whom he just met that made him review his life choices.
So what would happen to Mike and how would the story conclude? You could find out in this movie.
End of Brief Story Line
When I saw this movie's trailer some time ago, I thought it looked interesting with high speed car chase and it also starred some well known names. However I did not have any more information except that it was about some kind of heist. It turned out that the movie was more about intelligent robbery that was wonderfully shown in the beginning. After that intense moment, the story focused more on the main characters which were OK, though few times I felt it made the pace felt slower.
The movie had a long duration of 140 minutes including closing credits, but without mid or post end credit scene. As a crime thriller, this one fit into the category perfectly with some suspenseful thrilling action combined with the smartly done crime. I saw during the opening credits that this film was adapted from novella of the same title written by Don Winslow who was known for his best selling and critically acclaimed novels that were made into movies like The Death and Life of Bobby Z and Savages.
The movie itself was written and directed by Bart Layton (director of highly praised documentary The Imposter and docudrama American Animals). I guess he was chosen due to his past experience. His directing style was also unique to my opinion during the scenes that involved cars and motorcycles. Actually the film did not have that many action sequence but they were pretty well done to my opinion. In any case, its focus was not on the action but more on the story telling.
I thought the main cast did a pretty amazing job here. Chris Hemsworth looked convincing in his role, while Mark Ruffalo was suitable as the morally high, washed up detective. Halle Berry also performed her character nicely with Barry Keoghan successfully made me and my wife hated his character. Aside from those above, there were also appearances of Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Woman in the Window, Backdraft etc) as Lou's wife Angie, Tate Donovan (Ghosted, Hercules 1997 animated movie etc) as Sharon's potential client Steven Monroe, Payman Maadei (A Separation, The Night Of mini series etc) as Sammy Kassem owner of jewel store and several others in support roles. Btw critics seemed to be impressed with the movie while audience also view it highly. The box office performance was pretty decent during its first week of release, however it did have a rather big budget which might be challenging to break even or make profit.
Overall this film was pretty entertaining for me and my wife. Despite the very long duration and at certain points the pace was slower than I would have hoped for, it did not make me bored. If I had to be critical, there was one part that I thought could have been more clarified involving Lou after an incident in front of a jewel store, since the director chose to show it too subtly making us have to guess or read between the line. The film did have a nice and satisfying ending for us. So if you are in the mood for a good quality crime thriller movie that was highly praised by critics, then you are welcome to give this a try. However if a much more complex heist or full action film is what you are looking for, then this might not be to your liking. The choice is yours.
Mike's movie moments rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Special note: novella is a work of written, prose fiction that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel, which is usually fast-paced and has focused plot.
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