Band of Robbers

Attempting to adapt Mark Twain's most beloved characters into a modern day story seems like an audacious and terrible idea. But, surprisingly, the indie film "Band of Robbers" manages to pull it off. It has completely captured the essence of the character Tom Sawyer with all of his unrelenting energy, immaturity and imagination. True to form, this 'adult' version of Tom continues to travel through some fantastical version of life, with his every action propelled by a thirst for adventure and glory. In less talented hands Tom might have come off as obnoxious or unrealistic, but Adam Nee is so charming as Tom that he makes you WANT to believe that a person like this can exist. If you have never read Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" or "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," you will have no problem jumping in and enjoying this quirky and fun-loving caper. But if you have read the books, you will be all that much more impressed with what writers and directors Aaron and Adam Nee have achieved.

Band Of Robbers( 2015) is a quirky modern day take on the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. If I had to describe this film in one word, it would be eccentric. I mean that in a good way. Its a great balance between zany comedy and heartfelt drama. However, I can't ignore the problems. Certain things happen in the movie that are completely illogical. Those things only occur so they can push the movie forward. This happens frequently throughout the movie. It can be quite frustrating at times. Also, several intriguing characters are either underwritten or underused. Especially Hannibal Buress' character, Ben Rogers. I loved every scene he was in. While it does have its apparent problems, Band Of Robbers still manages to give you a warm feeling at the end of the movie. Heartfelt, with a truly great message.

Mark Twain fans might be slightly disappointed by the portrayals of their favorite characters but it's best to see it as more as a modern day homage to the books than anything else.

Also a heavy dose of crude humor, it's a comedy of errors first and formost more so than the epic adventures of the books it is inspired by.

Set in present time our dear Huckleberry Finn is a ex con and Tom Sawyer is his childhood friend who ended up becoming a police officer, albeit for no noble reasons.

Kyle Gallner is always good and he is definitely the best actor in this film and delivers a lowkey but very good performance as Huck, Adam Nee is entertaining as Tom but his character is pretty one dimensional... But so are most of the other characters.

After seeing Stephen Lang being absolutely brilliant in 'DON'T BREATHE (2016)' I must say I was a little let down by his (too) mild performance in this one.

But overall the performances are good enough.

There were a couple times where I thought they should have wrote this or that differently in the script but overall the plot is also good enough.

So yeah overall, no masterpiece but... good enough 6.5/10.

i saw it at MoA afternoon matinée wed the 20th. perfect setting for an enoyable day this movie was made with passion and tlc--clearly observable.

love to feed the indy movie scene? no put intended. go see Band of Robbers. delightful spin on the old huck fin / tom sawyer story. two seasoned leads did a fantastic job: kyle gallner and adam nee (who was actually in an episode of SatC) who was also co writer and co director.

i'm not usually a big fan of silly movies but i don't pass up mgg. ever. though his role was supporting, his character was hilarious and it was fun to see him play the opposite of reid. plus the short joggers and tank tops are not to miss.

BaR was super cute and entertaining quite a few funny laugh out loud moments. if you need a light airy movie on a cold winter's too hot summer's day, i indeed recommend.

I had seen the trailer several months before and patiently waited for its limited theater release. I was not disappointed.

The music and visuals make an excellent first impression; the first and last shots of the film are stunning. Once the plot developed, I began to appreciate the subtle humor and eccentric style. The actors are phenomenal and clearly care about their contribution to the film. An unpredictable story simply adds to the joy of it all. I do not believe there is anything I dislike about this film.

It is clear this movie's low ratings are given by people who do not enjoy modern adaptations of classic literature, nor understand or appreciate the unique, eccentric style it embodies. This is completely understandable.

Regardless, 10/10.