Livers Ain't Cheap

Excellent low-budget feature. James Russo stars as a bank robber on parole attempting to reform himself. His brother gets into some trouble and is soon in need of a liver. Russo isn't able to come up with the amount of money needed to give his brother what he needs.

After Russo is fired from his factory job by his tough-as-nails boss, played by Gary Busey, things suddenly look hopeless. He hears a rumor about a local mobster, Rod Steiger, who hordes his money in a upstairs loft above a posh club and a plan is soon hatched. Russo gathers a group of guys whom he had pulled jobs with back in the day. Guys who have all done time and have been attempting to make a normal life for themselves.

There are some truly engaging moments as the ex-gangsters must dig deep inside themselves and find a way to justify getting back into that life. A pleading wife who begs her husband, Piven, not to go back to that, sticks out in my mind.

Eventually they all agree to this one last heist to help save their friend's brother. The film grows more complicated and the ending is violent and touching.

For a low-budget effort, I was amazed at the cast which was assembled on screen, Morales, Busey, Russo, and Piven, all guys who have carried films and television shows in the past. Busey and Steiger have smaller parts and are very good in them. Morales seems to have reprised his violent-bad seed character from Bad Boys for this one. He is truly slimy.

Russo, a guy who can't seem to shake that robber character he played in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, offers a sympathetic and thoughtful performance as a guy trying to do the right thing, for a change.

How is THIS movie so completely unknown? "The Real Thing" is an EPIC heist film with more artistry, intelligence, style and energy than the similarly themed "Expendables," another movie featuring an ensemble cast of legendary names. Gary Busey, James Russo, Rod Steiger, Esai Morales, Max Perlich, Emily Lloyd, and Ashley Lawrence among others, each shine in their very defined roles of current and past criminals, trying to make a comeback by pulling off a million dollar nightclub heist. Russo is incredible as ex con Rupert, desperate to save the life of his little brother, who got shot while engaging in some criminal activity of his own. A liver transplant is the only way to save the kid, and Rupert will go to the ends of the earth to do that. Him and a group of fellow ex cons get together and devise the plan to put their hands on some much needed cash. Unfortunately another group of pros has their eyes on the same nightclub heist, and these men are much more ruthless, planning to kill everyone to get their hands on the cash. Rod Steiger is the intended target here; his New Years Eve bashes are known to take in big money, and those suitcases of undocumented cash are up for grabs. But forget about the story and just admire the style and incredible adrenaline rush that is this sadly overlooked gem of a film. Everyone involved is SO GOOD, and the movie serves as a reminder that the current crop of actors is just not as good as these veterans. Russo and Morales are particularly good here; Russo can still make you jump out of your skin with those sudden bursts of rage, and Esai hasn't been this much of a "bad guy" since he played Sean Penn's nemesis in "Bad Boys." Busey, in a smaller role, is hysterically slimy as Russo's employer, barking insults and firing people for being 10 minutes late to work. Fans of cult movies will get that same jolt of energy from seeing these guys, as action fans got from seeing "The Expendables," with it's epic cast of action legends..the only difference is, "The Real Thing" is so much better than that Hollywood trash. Again, I have no idea how this movie slipped under the radar, but it's one for fans of heist films, and for movie lovers in general.

Unfortunately, I thought that this film was a real TURKEY. I rented it because the credits listed Gary Busey and Rod Steiger. Gary Busey had a bit part and Rod Steiger exited suddenly. The ending was predictable. The special effects were lacking. I feel that I wasted my money on the rental fee.

Maybe this movie would appeal to someone, but alas, not me. My wife slept through the whole movie.