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Title: American Heist (2014)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Hayden Christensen | ... | James Kelly | |
| Earl Minor | ... | Detective Marks | |
| Adrien Brody | ... | Frankie Kelly | |
| Jordana Brewster | ... | Emily | |
| Akon | ... | Sugar | |
| Tory Kittles | ... | Ray | |
| Luis Da Silva Jr. | ... | Spoonie | |
| Lance E. Nichols | ... | Auto Shop Boss | |
 |
John McConnell | ... | Bank Manager |
| Joe Chrest | ... | (Police) Captain Sullivan | |
| Aaron V. Williamson | ... | House | |
| Rachel Bilson | ... | Eyewitness | |
| Laura Cayouette | ... | Loan Officer | |
| Carol Sutton | ... | Hostage Woman | |
| Elena Sanchez | ... | Katie | |
James (Hayden Christensen) owes his life to his older brother, Frankie (Adrien Brody) after taking the rap for a crime they committed together. While Frankie served time, James worked to turn his life around, got a steady job and began courting his former girlfriend Emily (Jordana Brewster). Now, Frankie is released and back on the streets with no money and no place to go. He turns to his underworld connections (Akon) and convinces James to join him in hopes that one last job will be the solution to change both their lives. Written by Lionsgate
There seems to be something inherently lacking about American Heist. Be it may the boring pace or the lackluster script, the movie is considerably basic and uninteresting. Story follows James (Hayden Christensen) who is forced to do a heist by his brother Frankie (Adrien Brody). That's practically all there is to it, yet the movie is needlessly bloated by pointless cliché of crime drama.
It takes literally an hour before any momentum can be achieved. At that span of time American Heist is a repetitive foray of tired love subplot and awkward script which consists of refined use of words such as "Fuck" and "Bro" in every other sentences. It feels so dreary and dry as the cast could perform so much more.
Adrien Brody is certified good, bless him for trying so hard with so little, although in the end the performance is unintentionally uncomfortable. Hayden Christensen can definitely deliver better performance, in fact he did in Takers, which is exactly the same genre. Heck, even Jordana Brewster in Fast and Furious franchise has had better material to work with. Her role in this film is so redundant, almost a glorified wallflower even.
This is quite surprising since the movie has some good production. When it gets going the cinematography is pretty good. Using action oriented shots and presentation with the city in rain, the tension is elevated on the last act. However, it's barely enough to get audience's attention, especially after the comparatively weak start.
American Heist may boast some famous name and a glint of decent visual, but the tedious and generic material is a waste of time and money.