Nick Cage, along with Ben Kingsley and Eric Roberts, has become known over the past decade as simply one of those actors who doesn't turn down roles. Many of his movies of late are definitely of the B- grade variety, but the guy still can act (see: "Bad Lieutenant 2", for example (the same can be said of Kingsley and Roberts)), so you never quite know what expect.
I had higher expectations for this movie than it probably deserved given it was billed as a heist movie, which is one of my favorite genres, and I like Elijah Wood (the TV show "Wilfred"is a personal favorite).
What's more, the movie has some things going for it; it is something of a modern take on a Jim Thompson style noir heist movie. But ultimately, I can't recommend it.
Maybe the Thompson style noir just doesn't work for the modern mindset, but without character development such that you give a crap about why these people are doing what they are doing, and who they really "are"as people, this movie just fails to draw one in, and it just doesn't pack the punch that it should. I think a lot of people who see it will just be frustrated with the movie as a whole, particularly the ending. There is an over-riding feeling of--wtf, is that it?--when it's all over.
But to be fair, Thompson's novels (of which there are legions of fans) often had the same feel to them. So in a sense, the movie seems true to its particular throw-back noir vision and deserves more consideration than most of the toss-off b-movies that one might associate with Cage these days. Even so, that vision just isn't enough any more. Downbeat endings just for the sake of a downbeat ending don't cut it. Rent "Matchstick Men" instead--similar in a few ways, and much more successful as a modern take on noir.
I had higher expectations for this movie than it probably deserved given it was billed as a heist movie, which is one of my favorite genres, and I like Elijah Wood (the TV show "Wilfred"is a personal favorite).
What's more, the movie has some things going for it; it is something of a modern take on a Jim Thompson style noir heist movie. But ultimately, I can't recommend it.
Maybe the Thompson style noir just doesn't work for the modern mindset, but without character development such that you give a crap about why these people are doing what they are doing, and who they really "are"as people, this movie just fails to draw one in, and it just doesn't pack the punch that it should. I think a lot of people who see it will just be frustrated with the movie as a whole, particularly the ending. There is an over-riding feeling of--wtf, is that it?--when it's all over.
But to be fair, Thompson's novels (of which there are legions of fans) often had the same feel to them. So in a sense, the movie seems true to its particular throw-back noir vision and deserves more consideration than most of the toss-off b-movies that one might associate with Cage these days. Even so, that vision just isn't enough any more. Downbeat endings just for the sake of a downbeat ending don't cut it. Rent "Matchstick Men" instead--similar in a few ways, and much more successful as a modern take on noir.