Thick as Thieves

Oh Dear, in deed. What could have been one of the best heist movies in recent history turned out to be (in my humble opinion) a serious let down.

Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas, a potential chemistry that on paper seemed a sure fire hit, but and there's always a but. It just didn't materialize, whether it was the short-comings of the dialog or the direction I can't say; but it just didn't sizzle.

When you think of heist movie partnerships then you have to be very special to match up against De Niro and Norton has seen in 'The Score'.

Freeman and Banderas - don't....sorry. For me this was the most overwhelming shortfall of the film, the two main protagonists just don't bounce off each other and has a consequence the characters fail to draw you in.

As for the plot, Freeman - going for the last big score before retirement, Banderas - hoping to improve his standing in the criminal fraternity whilst making a lot of money in the process.

Formulaic with a twist-at-the-end that was disappointingly obvious because the writers thought it had to have a twist-at-the-end. When will they ever learn that you can tell a story without having the ubiquitous twist - the bigger surprise would have been - oh wait for it - no surprise.

Unfortunately, this movie will go down has another example of Hollywood doing what Hollywood does, very little thought and effort put into an idea that could have been so much greater than the sum of its parts.

I gave this movie a 5 for the attempt of entertaining us, it should be a lot higher if only it had lived up to it's potential.

Well, this is a movie to watch for fun, when your favorite stars are in. Nothing special or amazing. Just the usual stuff, even the greatest twists are predictable from the beginning.

What a big letdown. First off, I wasn't really expecting much out of this, the trailer wasn't really something but it has Freeman and Banderas in it, both I am a big fan of. As it turned out, it was all a big, fat failure of a heist movie. I always welcome recycled plot lines just as long as the execution brings something new to the table but in Thick as Thieves, there wasn't. We've all seen it before and the twist at the end, although you never see it coming within the movie, the shock factor was poorly executed.

I love all of Freeman's works but this one is at the end of the line. The chemistry between Banderas and Mitchell was off, there was no spark none whatsoever. Skip it, rent it but don't buy it. It's a waste of money.

In New York, the experienced thief of arts Keith Ripley (Morgan Freeman) invites the bold thief from Miami Gabriel Martin (Antonio Banderas) to team up with him in the heist of two valuable mysterious Faberge eggs of 1917 in the safe of the well protected Russian jewelry Romanov. The worth of each egg in the black market is twenty million dollars and Ripley needs his cut to quit his debt with the powerful mobster Nicky (Rade Serbedzija). The reluctant Gabriel accepts to participate after having one night stand with Ripley's goddaughter Alexandra Karolin (Radha Mitchell). Meanwhile, the persistent Lieutenant Weber (Robert Foster), who has unsuccessfully tried to put Ripley in jail for twenty years, figures how to anticipate the movements of the criminal and arrest him.

"Thick as Thieves" is an unoriginal movie full of clichés that gives the sensation of déjà vu to the viewer. There are many movies with impossible heists, and this one has nothing new in this regard. Further, there are many twists in the story and the conclusion is corny and commercial. The good points are the chemistry among Morgan Freeman, the sexy and gorgeous Radha Mitchell, and Antonio. Banderas. In the end, this forgettable flick entertains. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Jogo Entre Ladrões" {"Game Between Thieves")

"The Code" or "Thick as Thieves" as it is called is a 2009 film starring Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Radha Mitchell, and Robert Forrester.

The story concerns a slippery thief, Keith Ripley (Freeman), who teams up with a thief from Miami, Gabriel (Banderas) to steal antique Faberge eggs that are kept in a vault surrounded by huge security trappings at a jewelry store named Romanov's.

Ripley needs to do the theft as a debt payment for his late brother, who was mixed up with a Russian mobster. He wants the eggs, and he's determined to get them. They are being watched by Lieutenant Weber, who has been trying to get Ripley for years.

Freeman and Banderas didn't have much chemistry, and Freeman, of course, is capable of roles having much more depth. So both kind of glided along, Banderas using his charm, and Freeman his geniality.

Derivative story with a couple of twists. A decent rental.