Coin Heist

United by dire circumstances, four unlikely allies from a Philadelphia prep school - the hacker, the slacker, the athlete, and the perfect student - band together to attempt the impossible: steal from the U.S. Mint.

I was drawn to this film because the director is somewhat of a celebrated figure. Everyone, myself included, is waiting to see if this apparently child prodigy makes a big name for herself in the world of film. So far she has done alright, but has not landed that one big hit quite yet.

This film goes through the motions, but ultimately could have been something made for ABC Family. I wish the "heist" part of the film had more punch. The danger is never really played up, and the consequences never seem all that dire, even though this must be an awfully illegal thing to even plan, let alone follow through on.

A Netflix production that fails to impress on literally every aspect of filmmaking. It's script is at times cheesy, doesn't make sense (why discuss a teenage crush in the middle of a robbery?) and the entire middle segment of the story is boring as hell. The directing isn't much better either. Some awkward shots and blocking in there. And the acting ranges from poor to mediocre. We watched this one with the family (40,38,13,11 years old). Not one of us enjoyed it.

Has some elements of that classic 80's teen movie however has a ton of flaws. The teacher character is unlikable and it's amazing how these 16 year olds can pass as professional adults on multiple occasions. Movie will require a little suspension of belief to enjoy.

The film itself is not that bad to have such a low rating. I mean, yeah, it's not a masterpiece and we can guess the ending from the very beginning, but do you really expect it to be something extraonrdinary? The original idea was great, although the plot has faults, it's naive and unreal, sure, but it's still an enjoyable movie. Also the characters didn't have the developpement they needed. Like they show the premise for it but then the ending doesn't show any consequences. In my opinion it was a bit too short and rushed. All in all, if you want a real deep suspence drama then I don't recommend it. But if you just want to see an OK film without much moral, drama and serousness, then it may suit very well.

If you can appreciate a decent heist story pulled of by decent teenage characters, without Hollywood production values, then you should really give this a try.

Emily Hagins wrote and directed and I think she did a fine job with the adaptation from a novel. The narrative had a strong even pace and it never dragged. The young actors gave it their all, and I think they pulled it off just fine.

Don't be too critical of these small indie efforts, and you'll find a gem or two. "Coin Heist" may not have the huge budget that the "Oceans" series had, but the story was just as interesting and just as well told.

Enjoy it.