This was too dark and serious to actually be a comedy. Wasn't it? Well, at times it became clear we were supposed to be laughing at the comical situations resulting from these greedy people wanting that money that wasn't theirs, and at the consequences of their often violent actions. In case we didn't know, the music made it clear. Yes, technically this was an adventure movie, but as dark as it was, comedy was a part of it.
Was I supposed to be rooting for the people wanting to steal the money? If so, which ones? There were a lot of them, fighting against each other. But my feeling was that I was supposed to be rooting for Eric, the only one with a conscience. In some movies, you want the bad guys to get away with it, but I'm not sure that was supposed to be the case here. Even if you root for the bad guys, here there are bad guys (okay, one may have been female), worse guys (okay, one was female), and even worse guys (maybe just one). Clearly you don't want the worst guys to win.
The focus, however, was on just the first group who were basically good people. The movie had more potential with the introduction of multiple groups wanting to get their hands on the millions, but didn't fully utilize this. And the truth is there was one other good guy besides the one with a conscience. I don't think he had a hidden agenda but we wanted him not to succeed because then all the other good guys would get in trouble.
Like him or not, Tom Everett Scott did a good job. Some villains you love to hate. I can't say I did. And he's not a villain but a regular guy who is tempted and feels entitled. He communicates the idea that it's okay to do what he is doing.
But Denis O'Hare, the real villain, really stood out. What a crazy character! And no conscience. He will commit whatever violent act is necessary to get what he wants. And yet there is something likable about this man. Plus he is the only one with good taste in music. Classical is somewhat more sophisticated than what I want, but the rap and hard rock that dominated was not what I would want to hear.
James Jurdi had the conscience and also did a good job, but he just couldn't quite stand up to all the opposition. He tried.
Michael O'Neill was tough and determined as the cop who seemed to be doing everything morally right. Maybe kind of flat compared to others, but a solid presence. The viewer just hopes he won't get what he wants so our heroes won't go to jail or anything.
And Angélica Celaya was one of the tough females who may or may not have been on the side of right. But she's had a hard life. Can you blame her if she gives in?
Some interesting editing techniques added to the excitement. To communicate that we had traveled far, a few very brief shots of obviously different locations were shown at one point. Also, the driver of the ambulance is shown shifting gears as part of a quick sequence of different shots.
This is not for families. It was obvious many bad words had been left out. The first time I saw this the signal kept going out and I had to give up. Either conditions were better this time or the antenna was, but the problems were the same. Actually, this time they weren't as it was just the sound and not the picture that had problems. And while this was quite bloody, somehow the worst of it was blurry.
I've seen better, but this is probably worthwhile.
