"James owes his life to his older brother, Frankie after taking the rap for a crime they committed together. Now, Frankie is released and back on the streets with no money and no place to go. He turns to his underworld connections and convinces James to join him." - Rottentomatoes.com
After not seeing Hayden Christensen since Looper, I was pleasantly surprised to see his and Adrien Brody's work in this crime action-drama. Both Christensen and Brody's performances were gritty, realistic and intimate. I would say that they were the main focus of the story, while everything else was, appropriately, a backdrop. As Frankie (Brody) gets out of jail and convinces his little brother James (Christensen) to join him, you know he's the fuck-up and as the audience, you just want to tell James to gtf away from him. And then they talk about their rough childhood, and well, you can't help sympathize for both of them, and maybe more Frankie. You want this to be their last heist and to ride off into the sunset together with the loads of cash but you know how these types of movies end.
I will say, upon further reflection, that I really enjoyed this, now that I didn't see it as a heist movie but examine it as a movie about brothers, last chances and redemption. Don't pay attention to the bad reviews and the naysayers. Give this movie a chance and you will be touched and entertained.
