Lying and Stealing

Lying and Stealing is an altogether forgettable film that basically serves as a vehicle to parade its attractive stars across the screen without doing much else. I watched the entire thing on an airplane and immediately had difficulty remembering what I had just seen. The predictable run-of-the-mill plot didn't do anything to set itself apart from any other heist-focused B-movie. Everything seemed way too simple and easy to steal. Theo James and Emily Ratajkowski did a decent job in their roles but there wasn't much to work with n the script. It really isn't the worst thing I have ever seen, but it is absolutely not worth your time.

Ivan Warding (Theo James) is working off his father's debt to the Greek Dimitri (Fred Melamed) by stealing art works from wealthy art patrons. He teams up with Elyse (Emily Ratajkowski) to help him get out from under the Greek, but an FBI Agent (Isiah Whitlock Jr) appears to be locking in on Ivan. Oh, oh.

Most of the movie is watching Ivan steal and get away with it. This is not a comedy but we do hear some good lines all around. We do watch a good conversation/interview between the FBI Agent (character name not given in the credits) and Ivan in a diner. The FBI Agent knows what Ivan is doing and wants Ivan's boss.

We see good chemistry between Theo James and Emily Ratajkowski and she is pretty and can act too.

However, there are 3-scenes that didn't make any sense to me: (1) The FBI Agent urinates in his partner's desk drawer. Why? (2) Dimitri apparently sends someone to Ivan's apartment to find the Hitler painting which he didn't find, and makes off with a safe. Do we see what was in the safe? No. Why? (3) We see Ivan doing something with a glass of water, we think it was water. What was all that about? Never explained.

Apparently many scenes were cut, but the story needed something more than just watching Ivan steal things and hear some good banter.

Notable: Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ray, Ivan's bipolar brother.

Even with the questions above, this was still entertaining and was okay to say the least. (5/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes. Nudity; Yes, brief. Humor: Some good lines are heard. Language: No. Rating: C

I usually like these kind of movies, the heist/con genre, but to pull it off you need a good script and, more importantly, charismatic leads to make it all seem cool. The Sting, The Thomas Crown Affair, Ocean's Eleven, they all had that intangible that made them really cool and fun movies to watch. This movie lacks that charisma that makes these classics so much fun. It makes it feel boring to be a thief, and it tries hard to be cool, but, as someone wiser once said, you don't try to be cool, you either are or are not, and, unfortunately, Theo James is no Paul Newman. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on this film as it still has its charm and some good character actors that I really like, such as Fred Melamed that is always wonderful or Isiah Whitlock Jr. It is an enjoyable watch and I wasn't mad at the screen, but the main flaw is that it is ultimately very forgettable.

Theo James is a good looking man - there is nothing wrong with saying that. Same goes for Emily R. (I won't try her last name, because I do not want to do it injustice, having a difficult last name myself, I know what that is like) - and there is nothing wrong with stating that. She had a small role in Gone Girl and is better known for her modeling career.

But before you critisize her for just looking good, the same could be said about Theo James. The story or crime thriller/caper or whatever you want to call it, is decent enough. You can see most of the twists coming along the way ... still quite enjoyable to watch, which is enough to not be mad at this. At least for me.

Movie was decent and acting was okay. Direction was okay, definitely liked the camerawork and color grading. The script played very safe in terms of thrilles and stakes. It was a very light watch for a crime-drama. A one time watch and then you will forget about it in a day.