Stealing Cars

The twist and the action in the last ten or fifteen minutes give a taste of how truly memorable this film could have been, but the eighty minutes of set-up show how lazy and delusional filmmakers can be. There is an overt reference to A Bronx Tale but far too much harking back to The Breakfast Club and similar, with unlikeable characters in unrealistic situations. Billy would never have got away with the rambling smart-arse speechmaking on show here, but would have been told to sit down and STFU (at best) or, more likely, punched in the mouth.

The distinction between the gangs is underplayed unless it is critical to a plot point, at which time it feels forced. The kindly sheriff, damaged nurse and bullying guard stereotypes rely on one actor in each role, and we are expected to believe they work almost around the clock and with no support. There is no suggestion that education extends beyond reading one book, sport involves more than knocking one character to the ground repeatedly, or rehabilitation extends beyond polishing the boss's car. The annual building project is as believable as finding Elvis on the moon.

Most of the film is made up of red herrings and blind alleys, with very occasional flashbacks that confuse rather than illuminate. Even after seeing the twist I am not convinced I fully understood what they were trying to say but by that stage I was making up my own story.

The end is forced melodrama but need not have been. There was a great film here struggling to get out.

The cinematography is a bit uninspired. However, it's nice to see heroism attached to intelligence rather than revenge for a change. How many films tackle the subject of human genius up against a world of mediocrity? How many films attempt to describe the need for and the requirements for- leadership? Basically humanity is obviously too stupid to solve its problems. That's why they are still with us after 10,000 years. Evidently we are slow learners. Part of the reason for this is that we have damned few cultural/media heroes who possess actual genius. And part of the reason for that state of affairs is Hollywood's reluctance to portray genius as desirable, effective or even romantic. The Dogme 95 film movement created a new standard of honesty in cinema. We now desperately need a film movement that wittingly makes us smarter...a Didactic Cinema. The need is certainly there.

Winner of the new Zeitgeist Award at the L.A. Film Festival, Stealing Cars feels like if Starred Up wanted to be Cool Hand Luke featuring Antoine-Olivier Pilon from Mommy. Both Stealing Cars and Mommy think their lead is hilarious, tragic and charming, and many of the latter's fans agree, but I found Pilon unbearable. Not to reel Xavier Dolan's film into this criticism, but both these films hinge on their protagonists. Swap Pilon for Emory Cohen for Stealing Cars and it's a very quick reminder why most consider The Place Beyond The Pines troublesome in its third act. I'm concerned that Cohen may be too good at playing an irritating young criminal. I just like seeing him get punched.

The film opens with a clear homage to Cool Hand. Emory Cohen's Billy steals a car, and the next scene we're in a Burnville Camp For Boys, an analogy for life's hardships. The film details his relationships with his fellow inmates, the guards, various staff, warden, police, a female nurse at the facility, and his parents in any jumbled order that resembles a plot towards his potential rehabilitation. He makes enemies, earns sympathies, leads teams, impresses at the least likely times, and so on. It's a script that's been gestating since the mid-90s and it's hard to ignore that it may have grown too kind to its protagonist. Billy mouths off to every authority figure and escapes three times without serious repercussions.

Set aside its clumsy character study and Stealing Cars does have good intentions in its portrayal of problematic detention facilities. Punishment only breeds deeper resentment and a desire to escape. It'd hit harder if its logic was as gritty as its style, though it's not quite as rough as Starred Up. In one scene, Billy has memorized an entire passage of Fahrenheit 451 because of his photographic memory, and while characters are just as surprised as us, it feels like a step into the extraordinary that's just tacked on. The warden makes cleaning his car a dream job for the inmates, as if that's not asking for trouble. He's then also astonished Billy knows Johnny Cash. Fortunately, these unconvincing examples are executed with such earnestness by director Bradley Kaplan that it doesn't toe the line into nausea, and instead establishes this as merely the tone of the film.

It's assisted by a set of familiar faces in the supporting adult cast. Paul Sparks is barely recognizable compared to his sniggering Boardwalk Empire role and a bright spark in the film as a drill sergeant-esque guard. William H. Macy shows his face briefly as Billy's father and adds his screen presence to the film's production value. Felicity Huffman has an emotional one-scene wonder as his mother that absolutely begs for more time with her character. Mike Epps also shines in his brief screen time. John Leguizamo is solid, but suffers the most from the aforementioned flaws in the writing. It's hard to deny that Emory Cohen has the confidence for this role and his charisma isn't necessarily misguided, he does contribute to the spirit of the film, it's perhaps just a matter of taste. Stealing Cars probably wasn't the wisest choice for L.A. Film Festival's award, but I'm sure there were worse on the slate.

6/10

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Some sluggish direction and pacing rob Stealing Cars of being a really great film about juvenile crime and incarceration. Stealing Cars is in a tradition of films like this that go back to James Cagney's Mayor In Hell.

Emory Cohen is our brilliant protagonist in the sense of one high IQ. Yet he's in the Bernwood Correctional Facility for a tragic mistake that has made him forgot to care about anything. His role model seems to be Paul Newman from Cool Hand Luke.

Besides Cohen the acting honors go to John Leguizamo as the warden of the place. Is scene with Cohen where Cohen finally breaks down and we learn the reason for his cynicism is brilliant. But we also learn that Leguizamo has his own agenda and it's not a healthy one.

I'm agreeing with another reviewer that the characters besides these two have no real depth as written and no great direction to make them come to life. Still Stealings Cars is a worthwhile film to watch.

I watched this for Emory Cohen and I wasn't disappointed, he's phenomenal in it. The movie itself though is another story. Well acted with a host of stars all doing their best, it's biggest problem is that it's still just Hollywood's take on boys in reform school. There are way too many clichés, the over the top mean guard, the warden who wants to help, a weakling for him to be a hero for, the other gang members he'll win over, none of it is very believable. In fact some of the scenes are straight out of fantasyland. Still it's an engaging movie because he is front and center and he's a wonderful actor. If you are a fan of his, this is a must watch.