Plot: What’s it about?
In a plot that might’ve sounded interesting on paper, becomes a rather dull and boring film. Righteous Thieves lacks the budget, colorful cast, and clever writing to make an impact. Instead, it takes an interesting idea and just sort of sits there. I’m always game for a good heist flick, even if it’s on a smaller scale, but something should overcompensate for the other. Sadly, the cast here is a big part of the problem, and the film is far too serious to be fun or entertaining.
We begin in 1985 where we see Annabel (Lisa Vidal) who is a thief and is caught by an older Jewish man. Annabel is attempting to rob Josef (Mitch Poulos) of one of his paintings. We flash forward to the present where we see that Annabel is a top member of The Syndicate, a shadowy organization that operates secretly. When a man named Otto (Brian Cousins) takes control of the paintings, Annabel is tasked with retrieving them. It’s at this point that she must recruit a team. This is the part in a bigger, better film where the colorful cast might make the endeavor a lot of fun. Instead, the cast hardly registers, and the characters aren’t the least bit interesting. There are twists here and things aren’t always as they seem, but I couldn’t care enough.
Pacing also becomes an issue as the film can never seem to find its footing. It should build nicely toward the big heist, but it only works in fits and spurts. With a better script and better cast, the results might’ve fared better. As it is, I just couldn’t care enough, and the end credits couldn’t come fast enough. Had the film gone for a slightly more comedic tone or added some thriller style elements then maybe things would’ve fare better. Instead, it just chugs along.
Video: How’s it look?
With an AVC encoded image, this being a recent film, one should only expect great results and indeed that’s what we have. The image is 2.39:1, offering more scope and the transfer does a fine of showing the wide scope. There are no flaws or debris to be found. Viewers will be pleased with the results. Or they should be.
Audio: How’s it sound?
We get a solid DTS HD track that delivers the results I expected. Vocals are fine and have the expected clarity. The rear channels kick in a good bit during the climax of the picture. Like the transfer, this track satisfies.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Coming for It All: Making Righteous Thieves – In a longer than usual (24 minutes to be exact) behind the scenes, we get plenty of tidbits from the cast and crew. I didn’t care for the film, but this is a good program.
The Bottom Line
I enjoy a good heist film, but this one just lacks the crucial ingredients. It doesn’t have the colorful cast to work in the way of Ocean’s Eleven nor does it have the intrigue of something like The Score where at least the cast can propel things when the story might lag. Skip this one and check out a better film in this genre instead.
