The Real McCoy (1993)

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers (WGA):

Desmond Lowden (novel) (elements)
William Davies (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

20 guards. 30 tons of steel. A security system second to none. They said there wasn't a man on earth who could pull off a bank job like this. They were right.

Plot:

A woman is released from prison, an expert bank robber who wants to settle down and go straight, but her parole officer and her former employer try to get her to pull one more heist. |

Plot Keywords:

Knee In Groin | Ex Convict | Burglary | Beautiful Woman | Car Trouble

Cast

Kim Basinger	...	Karen McCoy
Val Kilmer	...	J.T. Barker
Terence Stamp	...	Jack Schmidt
Gailard Sartain	...	Gary Buckner
Zach English	...	Patrick
Raynor Scheine	...	Baker
Deborah Hobart	...	Cheryl Sweeney
Pamela Stubbart	...	Kelly
Andy Stahl	...	Mr. Kroll
Dean Rader-Duval	...	Lewis
Norman Max Maxwell	...	Hoke (as Norman Maxwell)
Marc Macaulay	...	Karl
Peter Turner	...	Guard
David Dwyer	...	Guard
Frank Roberts	...	Guard

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Bregman/Baer Productions

Goofs:

Plot holes: Karen's ex-husband has absolutely no problem smuggling a gun into the departure gate.

Quotes:

[J.T. Barker comes out of the bank and is questioned what he was doing in there. He said he was closing up his account]
Bad Guy: What the hell are you gonna do with a 152 dollars? We're taking 18 God damn million dollars out of here on Thursday!
J.T. Barker: I know that. I just don't wanna split *my* 152 dollars 4 ways...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Beverly Hills, 90210: The Real McCoy (#5.29)" (1995)

Not quite "Ocean's Eleven", but improves toward end

After an opening worthy of "Mission: Impossible", Karen McCoy ends up spending six years in prison. When she gets out, she finds out her ex Roy Sweeney has told her son Patrick that she is dead. Her parole officer Gary Buckner doesn't want her to succeed and is being very demanding. She can't seem to get a good job. Not only that, but Roy is having financial problems.

And J.T. (who is working with Jack Schmidt) is a devoted fan who wants Karen to pull another bank job. Atlanta Union Bank is so secure no one can get in. But she can. Karen wants to go straight, but Schmidt is so determined to see her go back to crime that he threatens Karen's son Patrick, who knows Karen only as his mother's friend.

How will Karen get out of this situation? I can say there is a bank robbery, and one with quite a bit of intelligent planning, deception and even humor, though not quite on a par with, say, "Ocean's Eleven". The question is: does Karen get involved, and if so, is she being honest with those involved in the bank job?

Kim Basinger's character is quite good-looking but also very smart and able to get things done. Nick Searcy and Gailard Sartain could have traded roles, but I think the choices in casting them are ideal. Sartain has never been more convincing in a serious role that I have seen, even though he generally plays buffoons. Searcy has been the Frank Burns type in "Seven Days", so he could have easily done the sadistic parole officer (actually, he's more like Montgomery Burns), but I like him as the buffoon.

Once Karen got out of prison, the movie started out slow but eventually ended up satisfying. You won't believe the ending!