Fun, well acted and strongly executed.

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2014)

Well executed is the phrase that comes to mind with this movie. This applies to both the execution of the film itself and the crime it depicts. The acting is solid all around and there are a few moments of remarkable performance. The crime is also done in a very professional and practiced way. The crime is the first major element I will address. It is done with a motive of vengeance, but I will get into that later. The object of the robbery is $27 million worth of gold. The style in which the crime is performed is very different from Ocean's Eleven, especially since it's not a casino setting, but that's just something for any prospective viewers to be conscious of. It is pretty technologically based, though I saw it eleven years after it came out so I was relatively unfazed by this. There isn't really any time in the robbery where something goes seriously wrong which may or may not appeal to any given crime fan. We see a lot of the planning that goes into the heist, another striking difference from Ocean's in which we are kept in the dark as to the master plan until the end. The second element to discuss, since I have already brought it forward, is the filmmaking execution. The script is written well and flows naturally. The lines are not quite as dramatic or deliberate as in many movies. The conversations between Steve and Charlie are the most deliberately scripted and even these scenes aren't too bad as they go. John Powell's score has the usual crime movie feel with some light guitars mixed with some horns and drums like in Ocean's and Tower Heist. As stated above, the acting is very good, but I will address that in context with the characters. We have a pretty brief look at Donald Sutherland's character, John Bridger, since he gets killed pretty early on (this becomes the stimulus for the crime). He is the well established the leader of the original team most likely because of his experience, though I don't really like his little quote about why the team should steal. The quote's interesting, but I don't quite agree with it. Charlie Croker is a natural crook who seems to steal for the thrill of it and is solidly played by Mark Wahlberg. He is given a little more personality than some lead roles, but not as much as he probably should have gotten. However, it is clear that he cared strongly for John and feels justified in robbing Steve in retribution. Edward Norton does a great job playing the villainous jerk, Steve. I hated Steve's character from very early on, which was good. He all but admits that he had no good reason for stealing the gold and killing John. His one big problem is that he doesn't adapt to the circumstances. Even after he finds out that his old team is still alive and out for his blood, he does nothing to throw them off. In short, the team is able to easily predict his movements and it comes back to bite him. The rest of the characters lie in the team. Stella Bridger, John's daughter is a safe cracker who at first is averse to Charlie and the idea of stealing the gold. But eventually, she joins the others in a quest for vengeance of her father. Charlize Theron portrays her as a confident woman who asserts herself as a leader of the crime. Plus, she does a pretty good job driving her Mini Coopers, which adds a nice touch. Left Ear, played by Mos Def, is the pyrotechnics guy of the bunch and we see a few of his techniques interspersed throughout. He has a mild personality, best exemplified in his encounter with Skinny Pete. Handsome Rob is the team street racer and is played pretty well by Jason Statham. He's more than a little cocky and doesn't mind showing off. Lastly is Lyle the hacker (but of course we have to refer to him as the Napster). He's kind of jealous of the rest of the group because his one big accomplishment got stolen from him by his college roommate. Nonetheless, he contributes a key piece of the crime in his traffic light algorithm that allows the team to get away with the gold. His best scene is the one where he mimics Handsome Rob talking to the cable lady. This leads nicely into the sub-element of comedy, of which there is a little. There are a few pretty good one-liners ("Surprised Steve?") and a couple of fully comical scenes. The most prominent of these, and my personal favorite, is the scene where Charlie tells Stella about the criminal histories of the rest of the team. Skinny Pete and the one Hispanic guy are also both introduced mainly for comical elements since they play pretty small roles in the crime. So basically, it's a good flick to pick when you're looking for decent crime or decent comedy. If you're somewhat interested in either element, it should satisfy since it's well executed. Again, it is distinctly different from Ocean's Eleven so it won't necessarily appeal to Ocean's fans. But overall it's fun and smooth. Overall Rating: 8.3/10.