Review: Honest Thief
Rating: B
What happens when a former bank robber decides to go straight and turn himself in for his crimes? You get the new action film Honest Thief starring Liam Neeson. In the movie Neeson plays Tom Carter the notorious bank robber the In and Out Bandit. Tom’s thieving ways are just fine by him until they day he meets Annie (Kate Walsh) who makes him want a normal honest life. He sets out to turn himself in to the FBI in exchange for hopefully a reduced sentence in a minimum-security prison close to Boston so he can still have visitations from Annie. Things seem to be off to a bumpy start when Tom learns that things are never just as simple as calling up the FBI and turning yourself in. When two agents (Jai Courtney & Anthony Ramos) who are sent to investigate his claim decide to steal his stolen money for themselves things take a turn for the worse. The crooked agents not only steal Tom’s cash but also murder one of their own with the intent to pin it on him. Thus, ensues a scrabble to protect his girlfriend Annie and clear his name…at least for the crimes he didn’t commit.
Liam Neeson is back in his typical action fashion with an Honest Thief. Maybe it is just me, but it feels like his movies are fairly cookie cutter action flicks at this point. Someone is going to piss off or wrong Liam and he will get revenge at all costs kicking ass all the way to the finale. Honest Thief is no different. Neeson may be moving a little slower than some of his earlier action films but his approach and attitude remain the same. Not that any of this is a bad thing. It is nice going into a film knowing exactly what to expect sometimes. My dad loves his movies and wouldn’t have it any other way and the truth is there are a lot of action fans that totally go for these movies even if they all kinda turn out the exact same way. They are fun, fast paced and should appeal to the average action lovers basic action needs.
The things I liked about an Honest Thief are pretty straight forward. I liked the casting in the film. I am a fan of Liam Neeson and he does exactly what you want him to do in the movie. Jai Courtney as one of our movie villains always steps up to the plate and does what I expect him to do. He is kind of a cool evil presence in the film. Anthony Ramos was great to see in this film. I have been a fan of his since Hamilton and seeing him take on more roles is so great, and he does a solid job here for the bad guys. Kate Walsh as Annie is bubbly, and up-beat and Jeffrey Donovan is our FBI man who is determined to find the truth. What’s not to like? There is plenty of action and the story is easy to follow.
Things I didn’t really like though? The Film clocks in at almost two hours and in all honesty, it could have been done in an hour and a half. The film spends a lot of time setting up the relationship between Tom and Abbie, which I guess is suppose to show the strength of their bond together and why she doesn’t run for the hills when she finds out her boyfriend is a notorious criminal, but still it feels like it takes forever to get through. Also, I feel like Anthony Ramos character should have been given more lines and screen time. His character is great when he is there showing the internal struggle of doing the wrong thing while wishing he had done the right thing and that made the story way more interesting. He wasn’t just some mindless villain. He was a man with something to lose if this went wrong. He spends most of the movie being dragged around by Jai Courtney’s Alpha cop attitude and doesn’t get nearly as much say in things. It would have added more to the plot seeing things play out a little more with his character. The last thing I have to say and this isn’t much of a thing I didn’t really like, but more of an observation, I think it may be getting to be time for Neeson to hang up the action act a little. Maybe switch gears to another genre. He is just slowing down, and it doesn’t come off nearly as believable as it used to.
Overall, this was a typical Liam Neeson action movie. You can watch the trailer and pretty much know what you are going to get. I scored this one as a B because It was still entertaining to watch. You will probably have the ending figured out long before it actually arrives and that is okay because action flicks like this are supposed to just be fun rides and this movie does just that. So, sit back, relax, and join Liam Neeson on the action-packed ride that is Honest Thief.
Honest Thief hits theaters everywhere October 16th.
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