Firetrap (2001)

Master burglar Max Hopper is released early after three years and soon gets an exceptional job: stealing an advanced computer-chip from the IQ Industries headquarters. His first attempt ... See full summary »

Director:

Harris Done

Writers:

Diane Fine, Richard Preston Jr.

Stars:

Dean Cain, Richard Tyson, Mel Harris

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dean Cain	...	Jack / Max Hooper
Richard Tyson	...	Paul Brody
Mel Harris	...	Cordelia Calloway
Lori Petty	...	Lucy
Steven Williams	...	Firefighter Chief Sheehan
Vanessa Angel	...	Beth Hooper
Jim Storm	...	Jack Calloway
Dale Godboldo	...	Vincent
John O'Hurley	...	Richard Meeks
Harry Van Gorkum	...	Roger
Elena Sahagun	...	Caitlin Parks
Benjamin Lum	...	Dr. Philip Chow
David Beach	...	Michael Brisbane
Robert Madrid	...	Clark
Kirk B.R. Woller	...	FBI Agent Foster

Storyline

Master burglar Max Hopper is released early after three years and soon gets an exceptional job: stealing an advanced computer-chip from the IQ Industries headquarters. His first attempt fails; when he enters in cop uniform during an emergency board meeting, a fire quickly spreads- he considers it a godsend opportunity and stays, but soon has his hands too full saving other lives and just surviving to concentrate on the chip; only the owner, his wife who just filed for divorce and a few employees remain, but it soon turns out one of them stole company secrets but the arsonist and/or another chip-thieve are among them...

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Plot Keywords:

surveillance | burned alive | undercover | thief | towering inferno | 

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Taglines:

He's the only way out.

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Genres:

Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

One Last Heist

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

City Heat Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Calloway writes down the code for the vault for Brody it begins with 305 but when Brody enters it he starts with 321.

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Crazy Credits

Dean Cain is credited as playing "Jack" even though his character is identified as "Max Hooper" during the film.

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Connections

Featured in MythBusters: Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 1 (2006)

User Reviews

Heist Movie? Action Movie? Disaster Movie? Fails at ALL!

"Firetrap" opens as a technological heist movie in the vein of "The Score" or "The Italian Job". Its an adequate enough "Mission Impossible"-inspired opener as Dean Cain squirrels his way through a highly survielled museum (?) to snatch a diamond. Of course he's being helped by the classic sidekick who eats chocolate in a truck and helps him with directions. He starts off as the irritating token black dude, and he only gets more and more annoying.

"Go on with your bad self," he says in one scene. No one can argue with me that he's not the token black dude after such a line. If anyone still should want to, here's some more evidence: "You da man!" So the heist opener is pleasant enough. It quickly shifts into an action picture with a fun shootout and a surprisingly well-done car chase. Heist thriller and action adventure can be a fun mix, so "Firetrap" caught my attention. Until...

After the attention-grabbing beginning, it's time for some good old-fashioned character exposition. This is where his boring, bland, Hallmark-ish family attachment is introduced. His bangin' wife divorced him because of his criminal involvement that led him straight to the slammer. Wanna hear something original? "Just one more job!" He imploringly says.

I can live with a couple clichés in a generic heist/action flick. So I kept watching. Dean and his token black friend for hire train and plan to knock off a company that is quickly going under. So off Dean goes for the score of his life, covertly dressed as a cop to get him in the building.

Then something unfortunate happens: it turns into a burning building escape movie "Inferno"-style. This threw my attention (and approval)off like a train being derailed. If there's one sure way to make a bad movie, it's to ineptly try to bind many genres together. The director whose name sounds a lot like Harry Dunn from "Dumb and Dumber" seemingly has a fitting name. His movie is a complete mess that starts off mildly entertaining, then goes up in flames with an unwatchable second half.