American Heist (2014) User Reviews

Haphazard "dramatic" plot, with not much action to back it up

[rinzler-16487 · 5/10 · 30 October 2015]

Action? Solid, but nothing special. Heist element? Lacking, but enough for fans of non-elaborate larceny.

Neither of those things, however, take center stage for long. The movie wants so desperately to focus on the emotional aspect of the story...on the relationships. The problem is, it introduces these connections and backstories one after another without REALLY giving any depth to a single one. Moments that, if developed properly, could be sincere and truly emotional are rather just "out of left field" scenes that just waste screen time with a story that doesn't make a lot of sense.

On a more technical note, it almost gives the feeling that the cinematographer got switched out halfway through the movie. The beginning is filled with erratic zooms and cuts, standard cheap action movie stuff, while the mid-to ending is much more characteristic of...well...a GOOD, professional movie.

The drama is definitely the focus of the movie, but even some halfway-decent action and a plot twist or two along the way couldn't save this movie from it's nonsensical emotional story, with some awkward dialogue to boot.

Firing blank despite the decent cast and production value

[quincytheodore · 5/10 · 11 July 2015]

There seems to be something inherently lacking about American Heist. Be it may the boring pace or the lackluster script, the movie is considerably basic and uninteresting. Story follows James (Hayden Christensen) who is forced to do a heist by his brother Frankie (Adrien Brody). That's practically all there is to it, yet the movie is needlessly bloated by pointless cliché of crime drama.

It takes literally an hour before any momentum can be achieved. At that span of time American Heist is a repetitive foray of tired love subplot and awkward script which consists of refined use of words such as "Fuck" and "Bro" in every other sentences. It feels so dreary and dry as the cast could perform so much more.

Adrien Brody is certified good, bless him for trying so hard with so little, although in the end the performance is unintentionally uncomfortable. Hayden Christensen can definitely deliver better performance, in fact he did in Takers, which is exactly the same genre. Heck, even Jordana Brewster in Fast and Furious franchise has had better material to work with. Her role in this film is so redundant, almost a glorified wallflower even.

This is quite surprising since the movie has some good production. When it gets going the cinematography is pretty good. Using action oriented shots and presentation with the city in rain, the tension is elevated on the last act. However, it's barely enough to get audience's attention, especially after the comparatively weak start.

American Heist may boast some famous name and a glint of decent visual, but the tedious and generic material is a waste of time and money.

Been a while since I've seen a good bank heist flick, American Heist is not that

[subxerogravity · 5/10 · 27 July 2015]

But that's mostly due to the fact that the main focus was on two brothers.

Adrien Brody plays the older brother who did hard time for the crime that also involved his little bro played by Hayden Christensen who did a shorter sentence and got out determined to do as good of a job as any ex- con to keep his nose clean, but when his brother gets out, he forces little bro back into the life as a favor to the man that stop the constant booty tapping that he was getting.

This focus could have been better. Adrien Brody gave a decent performance as a man who got broken in his decade in prison, but this performance goes over weakly in this mediocre film that did not develop his character enough for Brody's attempts at heart breaking scene stealing.

Bouncing his acting chops off of Christensen was not a good call either. He tries, but Christensen seem too focus on his though guy persona to really get any acting done.

I feel most sorry for Johanna Brewster who is now officially typed cast as the girlfriend to the criminal car nut, which she perfected in the Fast and Furious franchise.

For the movie to be called American Heist is misleading, though the implementation of the heist was somewhat suspenseful, we did not get to see much heist planning. It's no Heat or Set it off.

Whatever this movie was trying to do it kind of fumbled the ball in both cases.

Expected safe-drilling, got a bore.

[voyou-703-655350 · 3/10 · 23 January 2015]

Action ? Nope. I calculated that the sum of all main characters spent a grand total of 17 calories throughout the story. Mostly because one of them trots about 5 yards somewhere in the first half.

Drama ? More likely. You'll mostly watch brothers talking gravely and crying in each other's arms. There's also 1 woman, and she's in a love angle. That way, 2 requirements of US formatted products are met, killing two stones with one bird.

Heist ? Barely. It's 1 hour and a half long, and the heist itself starts after 1 hour in. I'm not saying that the heist preparations take 1 hour. Preparations ? What preparations ? Let's just pop in the bank with guns, take everyone hostage and hope nobody notices from outside. From now on, you'll mostly watch brothers talking gravely and crying in each other's arms, but with their faces covered.

American ? Yes, the title isn't a complete lie. Not sure what the exact purpose of this adjective is... maybe to warn us that this heist won't occur in Papua New Guinea and that there won't be Austin Minis. Actually, I was expecting a gang of nuke-toting, gum-bubbling, Gump-quoting, segway-racing corporate-tattooed obese survivalists. Of which I saw none, so it's only technically American; just.

There is a "heist" here - if you spend money to watch this turkey!

[iraz · 2/10 · 20 June 2015]

Boring, predictable and utterly forgettable, "American Heist" is a complete waste of time. I watched this because my wife has a thing for Adrien Brody. I think he's a fine actor, but clearly this was done just for a paycheck. It's hard to make a bland bank robbery, but it was done successfully here. Just putting known actors in a film does not a good film make, an intelligent well-written script helps and this was just thrown together without much thought.

Save your money and read a good novel or take a walk or stare into space! There are so many poor films out there. When the industry complains about loss of its audience, it should consider the product we are asked to rent/purchase.

Audience members walked out on this at Toronto

[QStrum · 4/10 · 13 September 2014]

They complained how bad the movie was and they were right. I knew we were in trouble with that cheaply done title graphic in the beginning, which is odd because they obviously had a serious budget.

I think Adrien Brody was a poor choice for the role even though he gave a solid performance. We were supposed to believe he was this hardened criminal just released from prison. Fat chance, with those flamingo legs of his. And what seems like support for him given by some black thugs he knew from prison was nothing more than exploitation of his services, and his brother's (Hayden Christensen) talent with cars, in helping them rob a bank. And Christensen's character was just trying to keep his life on the clean side, working as a car mechanic. The brothers have a troubled relationship, making it one of the most bizarre reunions between family members in movie history.

The film further trudges along with this love story subplot between the straight-laced Christensen character and an old flame (Jordana Brewster) who happens to work for 9-1-1 dispatch. You see where this is going? Despite the efforts of Adrien Brody and Hayden Christensen, this is the worst film I have seen at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was a Heat (1995) wannabe written by an 11-year-old with limited awareness of reality and the human condition, and directed by an amateur. But none of this didn't prevent it from being bought for distribution immediately upon it's premiere.

One last job

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 8 November 2015]

Although American Heist was shot in Toronto it also is allegedly a remake of The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery one of Steve McQueen's worst films I didn't see that. If it is a remake it's not a great film, but for once it is an improvement of the former by far.

Adrien Brody is released from prison taking a rap alone for a job he and his brother Hayden Christensen did together. That time away from prison allowed Christensen to get into a business and even think about marrying Jordana Brewster.

But as soon as Brody is out of prison he sucks in Christensen into a convenience store robbery with a pair of his prison running buddies Akon and Tory Kittles. These two are a pair of stone cold killers with any kind of sense of morality gone from their psyches. They've got bigger plans for Brody and Christensen, a bank heist that could be worth millions.

It's a decent enough caper film, bloody as all get out when the plan fails. That last half hour has enough violence in it to satisfy any junkie. But what really gives the film life are the scenes with Brody and Christensen, they really connect as brothers. This is one of Brody's best performances since his Oscar for The Pianist, wasted some might say in a routine action film. As for Hayden Christensen the former Annakin Skywalker gives one of his best screen performances.

Action fans will like the action. Some of us who want more will appreciate what the two male leads contribute.

Save your time and money, watch Heat or The Town Instead

[OldHaunts · 4/10 · 13 September 2014]

I caught the premiere of this movie at the Toronto International Film Festival this week and out of all the films I screened this week, this was by far the worst. Audience members walked out mid way and rightfully so.

Adrian Brody attempted to play a hardened criminal however came off more as a leisure suited forgettable character. Set in New Orleans neither Brody or Christensen could maintain any type of accent or connection.

Hayden Christensen appears in a role often played by Casey Affleck only without any sort of stage presence. There was zero connection between these two supposed brothers mixed with random crying scenes to evoke failed emotions.

Akon proves that he's just as forgettable as an actor as he is a music artist and having his music included in the soundtrack only added to the ridiculousness of this film.

With a plot containing so many holes that the end was seen before the 15 minute mark hit lets you know what you're in for. Borrowing from Heat and The Town, American Heist leaves the audience wanting more and wondering what and why they just watched.

Jordana Brewster looks great and was probably the only redeeming quality of the film for that reason alone.

Save your time and money and avoid this one.

A decent heist movie that is a good watch, but a little too generic to be all that special. I give this a B-.

[cosmo_tiger · 6/10 · 1 August 2015]

"It was always me and you against the world." Frankie (Brody) has just gotten out of jail. While in there his former crime partner, and brother, James (Christensen) has gotten his life straightened out. With no money or home Frankie convinces James to help him pull off one last heist in order to help them both. This is not a bad movie at all and I did enjoy it. I was entertained and was not bored at all. On the other hand the movie is pretty generic and if it wasn't for the acting by Brody it may have been much worse than it was. I do like heist movies a lot but in order to set itself apart the movies must have some other element to them. This one used overused elements and did nothing to make them different. Again though, this isn't a bad movie and it worth seeing. Overall, a decent heist movie that is a good watch, but a little too generic to be all that special. I give this a B-.

Boring and Melodramatic Soap Opera

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 18 October 2015]

After serving ten years in prison in New Orleans, the smalltime criminal Frankie Kelly (Adrien Brody) comes to the house of his younger brother, James Kelly (Hayden Christensen), who is a mechanic in a local workshop. James is dating the gorgeous Emily (Jordana Brewster), who works as operator in the NOLA Police Ddepartment, and lives a honest life. Frankie introduces James to his friends Sugar (Akon) and Ray (Tory Kittles) that helped him in the prison and soon James learns that they are planning a bank heist with the gangster Spoonie (Luis Da Silva Jr.). He tries to recuse to participate but Ray forces him threatening his older brother. What will James do?

"American Heist" is a boring and melodramatic heist film. The relationship between Frankie and James is never dramatic but seems to be a soap opera. The awful end of the film without the conclusion of the story is not an intelligent open end, like in many European movies, but simply lack of ending. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "O Último Golpe" ("The Last Coup")

I enjoyed this movie a lot!

[Idahogirlx · 10/10 · 5 June 2015]

After watching I checked the reviews and was quite surprised that they are all pretty negative. The acting of both brothers was very convincing and touched me a lot. I didn't get bored at all but wanted to see what happens next. There were by far enough action scenes. It made the movie look real rather than stupid. I'm not a fan of ridiculous action scenes every five minutes - So this was just fine for me. It's mainly about the relationship and history of the two brothers and was described good enough to understand. I'm a big fan of Adrien Brody and thought his performance was excellent. People should at least give the movie a try and I'm sure lots won't be disappointed. Maybe the title wasn't the right choice but all in all this was an entertaining and cool movie with a surprising end.

Solid Movie with good performances by lead roles.

[MysticFalls007 · 7/10 · 23 January 2015]

I watched this movie with no prior knowledge not even watched a trailer so obviously the expectation were not that high and it turned out quite good movie.Although the story is same as like many other bank robbery movies but the performances by Adrien Brody and Hayden make this movie worth watching.The character of Adrien Brody was difficult to handle, no doubt in that but i think Adrien did good in that character, rest of the cast was OK. It could have do more good if they had advertised it more well i mean not even a trailer, seriously?? So if you are looking for some fun with solid performances from lead roles then don't care about negative reviews just go and watch it, you wont regret it.

A stupid title for a stupid movie.

[deloudelouvain · 5/10 · 10 June 2015]

This is an average movie. The story isn't that great, the actors aren't really that good, and even the title of the movie is not well chosen. The first hour is just about the difficult relationship between two brothers, with a lot of crying and moaning. Add in that plot a woman and a couple of wannabe gangsters and you get the story. I wasn't that impressed by their acting plus the storyline is kind of boring and sometimes even so far fetched it's getting annoying. And then after one hour of sitting through all of this you finally get the "Heist". No big deal at all, just a bunch of amateurs going in a bank and hope they don't get caught. A lot more crying and bad scenarios and you are finally done with this movie. Don't waste your time with this one.

100 minutes of my life down the drain

[holdenmcgrohen · 2/10 · 13 February 2015]

This movie is just a waste of time, money and the efforts of anyone who took part in it.

Don't be fooled by the title: this movie is not about a heist. It's about two brothers whining about how their lives turned out. That's actually all that happens for the first hour of the movie. There's no action, no character or plot development. It seems like the script was written for a 40-minute action series episode (that wouldn't have been worth seeing anyway). But then the director decided to make it into a full-length movie by adding long pauses into every dialogue, and panoramic views of the city after every scene.

The most exciting information that we learn throughout the movie is the detailed description of how Browy's character was harassed in prison. There is nothing that any of the characters say or do that can make you care for them.

By the time the actual heist begins you just want to kill all the characters off in the most cruel way possible. And it seems like the director knows it and tries to satisfy your desire. Because what we see here is of the most poorly planned and pointless heists in the history of cinema. The attackers take off their masks for no reason, they plan no escape route, they stand in front of the glass doors so that everyone in the street can see the heist.

The stupidity of everything that happens on the screen is overwhelming. This movie doesn't deserve a single minute of your time. Avoid it at all costs!

The Heat is off

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 2 May 2016]

At least I had Star Wars ... or The Pianist. Depending which actor might have thoughts about his career, the answers are there. Hayden hit the Jackpot (I hope for him) with the Star Wars franchise and Adrien Brody had his critical success with Polanski. The latter seems to be doing a neat movie from time to time, though he also seems to be doing some very bad ones too.

This isn't a really bad one, though you wonder about the characters and how Mr. Brody came to play a character like this. I guess it had to do with the family business in the script and a scene where he can "shine" if you want to call it that. It's really rather annoying not to mention predictable.

Sorriest Heist Film ever made

[mts-78680 · 2/10 · 21 February 2018]

Adrien Brody and Hayden Christensen probably made more than the movie grossed? I wouldn't have watched this on cable nor rental. Glad I watched for free by getting it from a local library. I've seen better B Movies made in the 1970s than this. Just sad sad sad......

Giving it a 2 only for eye candy with Jordana Brewster, lol

Flawed action flick worth a look

[jonyen · 6/10 · 24 July 2015]

American Heist isn't great but it will fill some cinema watching time without you feeling ripped off.

Set in New Orleans, Christensen plays the usual good-hearted boy in a relationship with a straight arrow gal but with a dark side, dealing with his ex-con brother (Brody). Think Affleck's character in The Town done a bit more superficially. Yep, the dynamic has been done to death and no surprises how it ends up, at least most way through the flick.

Brody has got himself mixed up with some hard crims with a cause (one of the odd twists in the film is the Robin Hoodesque demeanour of the head villain): revenge for the injustices perpetrated by banks, and make a lot of cash. The evil men at the centre of this are the impressive Akon (Sugar) and his friend in crime (Spoonie).

It becomes clear that Brody has got his bro' in too deep. At one point he justifies his following these dangerous gangsters, it seems, based on their helping him extract toothpaste from his keister (something only a true friend would do in the can, presumably).

For those that read the reviews with spoiler warnings, I won't give away the mildly clever twist at the end of a film that otherwise emplys the usual climax of automatic weapon gunplay.

Good dialogue, good use of a 10 million dollar budget and moderately satisfying overall. Don't expect too much and you'll have a good time with American Heist.

Nothing new

[Floated2 · 3/10 · 16 April 2016]

American Heist struggles with many things, as for a straight to video film. Starring Adrien Brody and Hayden Christensen. Featuring in the film, is shown as Brody's slim, wiry frame is muscled here in a fashion that recalls his presence in Predators. Although there, his makeover felt like a stunt, but in American Heist it lends wasted subtext to a desperate protagonist. Occasionally, we see Brody moves you in spite of himself, and trying to act to lift up the film but it doesn't work, with the way of the weakened writing and directing. A positive about the film and its characters is the presence of Hayden Christensen,where he makes a good hero and shows some warmth in his scenes with Jordana Brewster, however only to noticing their subplot doesn't amount to anything at all. American Heist tends to play as a lesser Heat or the Town.

You've seen it all before, and seen it done better

[Wizard-8 · 26 September 2015]

I decided to rent this movie in part due to the cast, but also for the fact that it seemed to promise that there would be a lot of action. But to tell the truth, I was really let down by the end results. If you are looking for a lot of action, you would probably be better off looking elsewhere. The opening hour of the movie has almost no action at all. What that first hour is instead devoted to is for the most part clichés you've seen in other heist movies before, recruiting people, planning, and other things presented without any fresh angles or viewpoints. And it's awfully slow; I kept wanting the movie to stop spinning its wheels and get to business. But after that first hour, the planned heist is pulled off and takes the remaining half hour of the running time. Is is worth the wait? I would say no. Except for one brief but somewhat cool moment involving a helicopter, the action and so-called tension and suspense feels generic and not the least bit exciting. And the movie ends on a note that feels both incomplete and has you wondering, "Just what was the point of this movie?" I will admit the movie looks okay for what wasn't a megabudget, but I've seen plenty of movies made for even less money that managed to be more exciting, more thought-provoking, and more action-packed than this.

Good Performances

[dallasryan · 6/10 · 24 March 2019]

American Heist isn't a perfect movie, it's off in many ways. However, the three main performances are pretty solid with Adrien Brody, Hayden Christensen, and Jordana Brewster. Brewster and Christensen have good chemistry and Brody and Christensen have a good dynamic as brothers at odds end.

An actor is only as good as the editing and at times some of the editing is bad which makes some of Christensen's scenes look a little off. Christensen gave a great performance for the most part in American Heist, but when the editing is on for his performances such as Life as a House and Shattered Glass you have excellent performances by him.

Waste of Time

[princekong-64351 · 1/10 · 28 September 2015]

I usually don't review movies but I decided to on this one because it was especially bad. Pretty much the entire movie is about two brothers complaining and cussing at each other about why their lives are screwed up. There is nothing American about the mediocre "heist" which seems more like a subplot than the whole point of the movie. In fact, the heist doesn't even occur until near the end of the movie. As for the heist itself I don't think it could have been more pathetic. A bunch of thugs walked into the bank killed the manager, and got some cash then were killed by cops. At the end of the movie there are still a lot of loose ends even though I didn't care anyway. Overall it was an awful movie and I wish I could get a refund for my time.

Underrated Crime Drama

[CelluloidDog · 8/10 · 4 December 2015]

This film actually falls into more the Midnight Cowboy or Taxi Driver genre rather than the typical heist film. It's not slick, sexy gadgety or with any super villain or super cop. That's probably what most people look for: a fast-paced sexy thrill of a heist. But it is again, more comparable to Midnight Cowboy or Taxi Driver, not quite in that class but you get the message. It's about the odd people getting the short stick in life. They may fail because they simply may not grasp what it takes to succeed in this world nor are given any advantages in life. Adrien Brody and Hayden Christiansen play the destitute down-on-luck brothers. Hayden plays James, the more balanced one who tries to lead a normal life. Older brother Frankie is more like the good-for-nothing lowlife career criminal. Quite similar to Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman's (Ratso) characters in Cowboy except Frankie and James served time. In Cowboy, Ratso was the con man bringing Joe Buck for the ride. In the same respect, Frankie takes James for a ride. How ungrounded and unsuccessful Frankie is signified by stealing a yellow lemon of a car. It breaks down. It's almost comical. Frankie raves that no one will notice the yellow car is stolen. But in reality, the audience knows, it is far too conspicuous. Frankie might as well wear prison orange. So the viewer can take note unfortunately such rides don't have basis in reality but only lead to dead ends.

American Heist doesn't come close to those masterpieces but it tries. Unfortunately many viewers may miss the point. James tries to lead a normal life, seeks a bank loan and starts a relationship with Emily played by Jordana Brewster. Acting is superb by Brody who doesn't get a nod for a superb performance. Jordana Brewster comes close and Hayden Christiansen (should we take him seriously as an actor?) actually is creditable in his straight role.

Problems? For one, the long slow pre-death scene that almost goes nowhere and the Akon soundtrack. It tries to be almost an art-house type heist but also falls a bit short of most people's expectations. But view it for the what it really is: a movie about down-and-outs.

Real rating: 7.2-7.5, could be the best crime movie of the year but who notices? I bump it up due to low ratings which this film doesn't deserve. Plenty of good films get missed the first time. It might be a decade before anyone notices.

Underrated movie

[office-224-532341 · 7/10 · 28 January 2015]

Even if the script was not so great,acting was.Worth watching after a bunch of bad movies appears these days.Comparing to "The town" movie directed by the "Great actor" Ben Affleck,there was a good script but when I see Ben Affleck the whole movie seems bad.Is like a black sheep,I'v never seen a good movie with him.Was good in Gigli and Dare Davil if you know what I mean. Adrien Brody & Hayden Christensen are great actors,hope the movie get a better rate and "a poster" beside the title on IMDb. I give this movie a 7 comparing to other watched this year,not worth mention.Offtopic but I have to mention the freaking doll in the "American Sniper" if you know what I'm saying,shame for Clint Eastwood directing,I haves't see a bigger mistake in last 20 year's.

Pretentious Little Potboiler of a Heist Flick

[zardoz-13 · 5/10 · 8 November 2015]

Armenian director Sarik Andreasyan's first English-language film "American Heist" is a generic, sometimes pretentious, B-movie crime thriller about an abortive New Orleans bank heist. The thing that bothered me throughout this lackluster 95-minute epic was why Oscar-winning actor Adrian Brody went slumming to make this minor exercise in formula film making. Sure, I can understand why Hayden Christensen might make a grubby little bit of grit like this to show off his acting chops, get to brandish a firearm, and distance himself from the "Star Wars" galaxy. Actually, Christensen isn't bad. Perhaps some of Brody's Method-like acting rubbed off on him. I can't understand why gorgeous Jordana Brewster would grovel as Christensen's romantic interest in this fair to middling potboiler. Clearly, everybody must have been motivated by a paycheck.

First, you have to understand that this is a saga about losers. Frankie (Adroan Brody) has some pals who protected him in prison from perverts that wanted to rape him with toothpaste strong-arm him into participating in their heist, and he strings along his brother James. Incidentally, Frankie served 10 years in prison for killing a cop, and he emerges from prison at the start of the movie to visit his younger brother James. James spent 16 months behind bars and now toils as a mechanic. James dreams of establishing his own shop, but the bank denies him a loan. Of course, this makes James a sympathetic character.

"American Heist" begins with James hearing gunshots in a building and then the film flashbacks to a day earlier, and we see him toiling as an auto mechanic. He catches up with an old flame, Emily (Jordana Brewster of "The Fast and the Furious"), who had left New Orleans after Katrina. She is back now working as a dispatchers for the New Orleans Police Department. After Frankie gets out of jail, he visits his younger brother and they meet later at a small bar. Frankie tells James about an idea for flipping and fixing houses and introduces him to his associates Ray (Tory Kittles of "Dirty") and Sugar (Akon of "Coach Carter"), who will provide the upfront money. As it turns out, Ray and Sugar are two heavily armed, trash-talking thugsters who make James complicit in their illegal shenanigans. They ride in James' Duster to a remote location, shoot it up, and flee with a security SUV hot on their trail, but James manages to lose the rent-a-cop. Ray orders James to get rid of the Duster.

Now, James is supremely upset with his sleazy, no-good brother for not watching out for him. Frankie shows up at James' house with Ray and Sugar in tow. Sugar takes the Duster and ditches it with Ray sits on the front steps and talks about a proposed bank job. Ray spouts off like he knows something about life when he justifies their decision to rob a bank. Consider Ray's rant: "Take a look around, kid. What do you see? Homes being foreclosed. People working two, three jobs just to put food on the table and still drowning in debt. Don't get me wrong. This country was founded on great ideals and principles. But they've all been ruined by the banks. Open your eyes, Jimmy. It's the banks that are robbing you." And then later Ray adds, "You know who my favorite president was? Thomas Jefferson. Because he saw all of this coming and tried to stop it. He fought the banks. JFK, too, and they killed him for it. 'The banking institution is more dangerous than an army,' he said. He also said that every generation needs a revolution, Jimmy. The American dream is just that, just a f#*king dream." James knows that he is in deep crap when Ray tells him "to get some sleep, but no sleep walking." What clinches everything is Ray's next line: "Any problems you cause will be very bad for your brother." Whether he likes it or not, James is trapped between a rock and a hard place. Ray explains how the heist will work. "War is a continuation of politics, only by other means. Politics is a continuation of economics by other means. This is our bank. This is our war. And this is our plan of attack." As it turns out, James will hijack several cars and blow them up to distract the police. At this point, "American Heist" gets interesting. The gang plans to create distractions just as Steve McQueen and his cronies did in Sam Peckinpah's "The Getaway." Naturally, since this is a 'crime does not pay' thriller, the heist fails and fails miserably when an innocent bystander crossing the street spots the robbery. Later, James learns that his wayward brother Frankie put sugar in Emily's gas tank. Frankie warns James that things will go bad for Emily if James screws up

The best part of "American Heist" is the heist itself. Of course, everything goes wrong for the robbers. Nevertheless, Andreasyan demonstrates a modicum of talent during the robbery that takes place in the last half-hour. Ray is cold-blooded when he blasts the bank manager at point blank. The police chopper that crashes into the building is an unexpected delight. Frankie's last ditch effort to redeem himself occurs near fade-out when he dresses James as a bank customer and smuggles him out as a hostage. Mind you, Brody delivers a brilliant performance as the scumbag brother, while Christensen is tolerable as his callow brother. Brewster is squandered as eye candy. You have to wonder if James and Emily hook up after the botched bank robbery. "American Heist" is a potboiler with an adequate budget, some strong performances, and a well staged bank heist. Ray's rants are interesting, but nothing about his little 'us against the system' opus qualifies as memorable.

This is a woefully bad movie.

[peterp-450-298716 · 2/10 · 28 March 2015]

"It was always me and you against the world."

Are you expecting a good movie after seeing who's playing the main roles, then I'll warn you already now : This is a woefully bad movie. Adrien Brody, Oscar winner for his brilliant performance in "The Pianist", and Christensen, who's undeniably a virtuoso in handling a light-saber but exhibits a presence that can be surpassed without a problem by Chewbacca, aren't a guarantee for an enjoyable film. The movie poster on its own is an indication that it could be a faded B-movie. And despite the tattoos of those two guys and the use of a vocabulary after which an average rascal would turn pale, they nevertheless still look like two wimps.

The day Frankie (Adrien Boyd) gets released from prison, he returns to his brother James (Hayden Christensen), who now leads an ordinary life and works as a car mechanic. James and Frankie both have an extremely troubling past. Frankie just served 10 years of imprisonment. James tries to pick up the thread. He's getting closer to Emily (Jordana Brewster) and dreams of owning a garage. Frankie wants to persuade his younger brother to start a business involving real estates. Afterwards James comes to the conclusion that again he's involved in a suspicious affair where robbing a bank is the objective.

I'll briefly numerate the negative points of this pathetic end result. First of all the performances. As I mentioned earlier, the two protagonists aren't convincing. Only the moment Brody describes the miserable conditions in prison and defines a reasonable graphic image about the contacts he had with the other inmates (whereby a tube of toothpaste was a necessary tool in those circumstances), you saw briefly a glimpse of the capacities Brody possesses as an actor. Only this scene was a bit messed up by Christensen who doesn't exactly know how to react to this confession, and therefor just looks a little dazed. Incidentally, he uses that look constantly throughout the whole movie : that dazed look where it seems as if he could burst out into tears any moment. And even if the two tough looking brothers use expressions like "f*ck", "Shit", "Motherf*cker" and "Bro" in their conversations, they still are and remain two dorks.

Also the two would-be business partners Ray (Tory Kittles) and Sugar (Akon who's also a known hip-hop and R & B star) are ridiculous persons. They may have the attitude and looks that would classify them immediately as riff-raff. But when Ray starts to quote statements of Thomas Jefferson about how dangerous banks are (they are even more dangerous than the army) and that they're going to start a revolution, they turn into two clownish wannabe gangsters. Brad Pitt's rant at the end of "Killing Them Softly" was acceptable. That was clearly a socially critical message. And Dominic Purcell in "Assault on Wall Street" having a go at complete Wall Street, after losing everything that was dear to him, is also understandable. But Ray suddenly striking off a few political quotes is totally implausible. But then again, it fits here.

And then the story itself. This is put together so ridiculous and painfully bad, you need a painkiller after wards because of your painful neck you got after shaking your head repeatedly. I still can't understand how on earth James could believe the real estate story Frankie told him. Even though there's an intense family bond, he'd better struck him with a crankshaft that was lying somewhere in the house. At least I would have done that. Especially if he's the main cause why James has to endure a bleak and difficult existence now. No, he still teams up with his brother and ends up in deep trouble again. The bank robbery was so amateurish and illogical. The intervention of the police was feeble-minded, to say the least. They are handling the bank robbery and seem to have it under control, but the exit at the side of the building, they've overlooked. Then a gunfight starts and you are wondering if there's even anybody who has any practical experience in handling a firearm. The final denouement is even more ridiculous.

If it was a low-budget film, I would forgive them. But if you look at the budget they've spent making this trifle, then you really wonder what it was used for. The wages of the two protagonists? The high-tech camera that was attached to an actor's chest to get a close-up of his face? Or was it an expensive soundtrack made by Akon ? God knows. Yet one last advice. You want to watch an entertaining movie about a bank robbery ? I suggest you watch "The Bank Job".

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