STOLEN
US, 2012, 96 minutes, Colour.
Nicolas Cage, Josh Lucas, Malin Ackerman, Danny Houston, Sami Gayle.
Directed by Simon West.
Stolen is one of the many routine thrillers that Nicolas Cage made, sometimes several a year, in his later years. It is the story of a thief, whom we see an action with his associates, robbing a bank of $10 million. In contrast to his associate, Vince (Josh Lucas), he is sympathetic to a guard who was shot and goes back to him, eventually being caught. He spends eight years in prison.
The rest of the film takes place on the day that he gets out. He goes to visit his daughter who is less than enthusiastic to see him. He goes to see one of his team who works at a bar (Malin Ackerman) as well as the detective who pursued him in the past (Danny Huston).
Then his daughter is abducted by Vince who is completely embittered, especially with his artificial limb caused by a shot from Cage. He is a cabdriver, and Cage uses his wits to track him down as do the police to pursue them both. And all ends happily, Cage recovering his daughter from a burning car which is driven into the river to save her, but a touch of ambiguity as to whether he has thrown some gold bullion away.
The film was directed by Simon West, a specialist in action films including Con Air, The General’s Daughter, The Mechanic, The Expendables 2.
1. A routine action adventure? Nicolas Cage adventure? Robberies, prison, abductions, pursuits?
2. The New Orleans setting, the streets, the banks, the Mardi Gras procession? The musical score?
3. The initial robbery, the group, their tactics, the police in surveillance, the information, the wrong street, the wrong bank? The group getting inside, the tools, the safe and opening it, taking the 10 million, seeing the gold? The escape, the police pursuit, the shooting of the old man, Will and his returning, Vince upset, being shot in the leg, the vehicle escaping? Will being caught, burning the money?
4. His eight years in jail, trying to keep contact with his daughter? His release?
5. Harland and his role with the police, the force, the surveillance, the mistake, the pursuit of Will?
6. Will and his going to see Riley, her friendship and support?
7. His seeing Harland, the bond between them? The burning of the money? The suspicious detective? Keeping surveillance on Will?
8. Will and his daughter, the discussions, the tentative relationship, her becoming older, his toy gift for her? Her going to see her psychologist? The taxi, Vince picking her up? His putting her in the boot? Her crying out for help? the policeman stopping the taxi, suspicions, the taillight? The phone calls to Will?
9. Will, his concern, the pursuit of Vince, talking to him on the phone, the discovery that he was not dead, Vince and his explanation about digging up a corpse and dismembering it, his vanishing? Taxi driver for two years? Will in the taxi, the phone call to the organiser, getting the information, the pursuit? The false taxi number? The Mardi Gras procession?
10. The police, suspicions, working out what was happening, pursuit?
11. Vince, wanting the money, Will promising it? His idea, the gold in the bank, getting Riley to help, the tools, going to the bank, the melting of the gold, collecting it, the police working out where he was? The escape? The fast driving, bringing the gold to Vince?
12. The confrontation, Will being shot in the leg, his daughter in the car, the fire, driving the car into the river, putting out the fire, rescuing his daughter?
13. Saving some of the gold, the police watching him, whether he would throw the gold into the river or not, his seeming to – but yet keeping some of it?
