This confusion seems to continue in the movie. I spent the whole movie trying to pick a genre for it. Romance? Comedy? Action? Film Noir? Is it a heist movie? A drama? I finally settled on "Thriller," and I see the IMDB agrees with me.
Anything with Ben Affleck can't be that bad, though, although anything with Dana Stubblefield can't be great, especially if it's the 1999 Redskins defense. (Yeah, I know, cheap shot.) The movie starts out with Rudy (Ben) in prison with his bud Nick. They're about to get released, but Zook (Isaac Hayes) starts a food fight. The first twist (which I won't spoil) happens, Rudy gets released and ends up as the guy who has "inside information" some robbers need for a casino heist. Only trouble is, he doesn't really have the information. But if he doesn't have the information, they have no reason to keep him alive...
The middle part of the movie, which I just described above, is the weakest part. The prison part is fun, and the ending has a bunch of twists and turns that could have been sorely used earlier. The main theme of the central part of the movie is really Ben Affleck getting punched in the guts. Not bad, but I could have wished for more.
So if you go to see this movie, don't expect too much. You should find enough to keep yourself entertained. And if you feel it start to drag, hang in there 'til the end, when cool stuff (including 5 Santas going into a casino) happens.
2.5 stars. Back to Jon's weblog.