HEIST
US, 2015, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Robert De Niro, Gina Carano, Dave Bautista, Morris Chestnut, Kate Bosworth.
Directed by Scott Mann.
The subject of heist is what the title suggests, a robbery of a casino, money which had been laundered by an Asian criminal organisation and which could not be revealed to the police.
Audiences who enjoyed the bus chase in Speed will be remembering it when the criminals take over a bus and there is a similar chase along the highway – but nothing to compare with Speed.
Robert De Niro, making so many films each year in his 70s, is the manager of a casino which he has built up, fosters the money-laundering. but, he has terminal cancer, wants to reconcile with his estranged daughter, goes to meet her, offering to leave everything to her. She refuses.
But the main focus is on Jeffrey Dean Morgan as former employee of the casino, who has had a change of heart, married, has child is very sick and needs a large amount of money for surgery. He works again at the casino, asks De Niro for a loan which refuses. Morgan is approached to participate in the heist, he finally agrees, but with an exit plan if everything goes wrong – which does provide an unexpected twist at the end.
The film’s action spends a lot of time on the bus, the reaction of the passengers, Morgan taking charge, in contact with a detective pursuing, making phone contact, persuading her to help him with the safety of the bus passengers. There is also a crooked detective, in the pay of De Niro.
The film is brisk, has a good cast, makes its point through the thriller and the chase.
1. The title? Expectations? The background of the heist, the execution, things going wrong? Commandeering the bus? Police, detectives?
2. The American city, the casino, the hospital, meeting places? The bus, the highway? The musical score?
3. The opening, the heist, the chase, the bus? Going back in time? The introduction to Vaughan, his work at the casino, information about his past, relationship with Pope, conversion, Army? His return? His marriage? His daughter and her illness? The visit, the $300,000 required for the surgery? His promise to have it? Desperate? The response of his wife? His daughter, the doctor, the medical staff? His going to Pope, asking for a loan, Pope’s treatment of him, Derek, the violence, the inhumanity? Principles?
4. Cox, his approach to Vaughan, suggesting the heist? The background of the casino, his work there? The clients? The Asians? The fat Asian and his losing? Money-laundering? The cash kept in the casino, millions? Vaughan reluctant? The pressure from hospital, his agreement?
5. The planning, Cox and his domination, his partner, Vaughan and his plan if things were to go wrong? Visualising the possibilities?
6. Contact, the robbery, the amount of cash, Derek and his presence, the confrontation, the shooting, running down the road? Boarding the bus?
7. The bus, the pregnant woman, the little boy, the other passengers? The driver and his keeping his head, his skills? The progress of the bus?
8. The pursuit by the policewoman, the contact with Vaughan, the phone, her believing him, breaking through the roadblock, crashing the car? The continued phone calls?
9. Her boss, his taking her off the case, the detective arriving, his reversing the orders? Going to the bus? The irony that he was working for Pope? Vaughan challenging him? The passenger with a weapon, Vaughan threatening him, his backing down?
10. The pregnant girl, the boy, the vet and her looking after the wounded man, the phone call to bring in medication, the detective bringing it? Its being poisoned and his death? Cox and his anger, boyhood friend, emotional, with the driver, threatening to shoot, Vaughan shooting him?
11. Stopping the bus, the confrontation with the detective, his being shot?
12. The hostess hostages getting off, the irony of Vaughan getting off, the phone call to the pilot, Cox and his previous contact? The possibility flying anywhere? Vaughan arriving, Derek present? The arrival of Pope?
13. Pope wanting his money, his going to visit his estranged daughter, her working in the restaurant, discussion about her mother, her alienation? His wanting to give everything to her? Her condemning him about the way that he made money? Not wanting anything from him?
14. Vaughan, beaten, talking about his daughter, Pope thinking this over – and his shooting Derek? Letting Vaughan go? His cigarettes – and smoking the real one, his cancer and imminent death? Trying to do something right?
15. The detective, interviewing the pregnant girl, the irony that she was Vaughan’s sister, concealing the money, going to hospital, the detective letting her be?
16. Vaughan, the previous phone call, his daughter and his wife, bringing the money, the surgery?
17. Satisfying robbery thriller, with the bus chase, and the twist about the money going to the hospital, Pope changing his mind?
