C'era una volta Steve McQueen

From the beginning, I wanted to dislike this movie. The lead just didn't strike me as very interesting to start. But like the simple plot and easy to digest acting, he gets better as the movie moves on. The ending was simple and endearing. Nah, it's not that amazing or groundbreaking in the least but it's fun and well paced.

Highly fictionalized account of an actual bank robbery that occurred in California, 1972. The main character (Harry Barber), one of the robbers, is a young man who sees himself cut from the same cloth as the actor, Steve McQueen. Despite often having a 'deer in headlights' look about him, Harry unfolds a detailed tale of the robbery some years later to his girlfriend, Molly. The main theme of the heist centers on stealing President Nixon's slush fund money that supposedly is hidden in a safety deposit box with the bank. FBI agents Lambert and Felt (of Nixonian fame as deep cover contact, Deep Throat) are hot on the trail of the heist crew. Both the love story and the heist are an enjoyable watch.

Finding Steve McQueen is a love story disguised as a bank robbery movie. This is a Baby Driver wannabe, without the great production, direction and dialogue. If you've never heard of Travis Fimmel before, well, this film won't leave a lasting impression of him with you either. Finding Steve McQueen has 24 Producers, so if the tempo or mood or anything else seems uneven-there you go. Everything starts out exciting as a bank heist film, but then it flips to a love story and by the 1 hour marks it's ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz. The soundtrack is fantastic, so this is the movie you play in the background while doing something else, like surfing the internet.

I hadn't even heard of this movie before I found a Blu-ray copy of it at my local library today. But I know from experience that taking a chance on unknown movies often uncovers gems and sleepers, so I decided to watch it. Was the movie worth my time? Well, overall I would say yes. The movie has an irresistible premise that turns out to be a true story (can't believe this true story was never filmed before), and the story never has any dull spots in its telling. There is also some effective humor and suspense along the way. Also, the soundtrack has a number of great oldies played that add flavor and a feel for the period. But at the same time, the movie has some weakness that prevents the movie from being great. For starters, it seems to assume that its audience will know all about the background of the Watergate/Richard Nixon scandal; although I knew enough about this part of history to know the references, viewers who don't have my knowledge may be very confused. Also, the movie's unconventional storytelling style (flashforwards and flashbacks) results in some plot threads and characters to be put on the backburner for long periods of time, resulting in the movie losing some momentum. As it turns out, some key characters are really weak; we learn very little about the ringmaster of the crime or the protagonist's brother (including what happened to them after their last scenes.) Also, while the filmmakers are to be commended for managing to do an entire period piece on a low budget, some production values do look a little undernourished. Don't get me wrong from what I've just listed - the movie is still worth a look, but it may be best to wait until you can see it for free like I was able to.

This movie is a good date flick, by a guys standard. Girls will probably enjoy it as well. Travis Fimmel is ok as the leading man but it appeared to me that he is still learning his craft. He is more than capably supported by a great group of actors to help him carry this movie. William Fichtner, Forest Whitaker, John Finn and Molly McQueen are engaging and fun to watch. Louis Lombardi steals every scene he utters dialogue in and Rhys Coiro eerily channels Hal Linden. If this movie didn't have the Nixon/True story angle I don't think it would be as captivating.