Honest Thief
Honest Thief
| Honest Thief | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mark Williams |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Mark Isham[1] |
| Cinematography | Shelly Johnson |
| Edited by | Michael P. Shawver |
Production company |
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| Distributed by | |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $28.8 million[2][3] |
Honest Thief is a 2020 American action-thriller film[4] directed by Mark Williams, from a screenplay by Williams and Steve Allrich. The film stars Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos and Robert Patrick, and follows a former bank robber who turns himself into authorities, only to be set up by them.
Honest Thief was theatrically released, including in IMAX, in the United States on October 16, 2020, by Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment. The film received mixed reviews from critics who praised Neeson's performance but noted the film's familiarity.
Plot[edit]
Sneaking around Boston for years, Tom Dolan has become a master thief, earning the nickname the "In-and-Out Bandit" for his slick ways when it comes to stealing large amounts of money. He turns over a new leaf when he meets and falls in love with Annie Wilkins, a psychology graduate student working at a storage unit facility. A year into their relationship, Tom attempts to turn himself in to the FBI in exchange for a short sentence so he can put his criminal past behind him. FBI Agent Sam Baker brushes him off, having received several false confessions in the past, and sends subordinates John Nivens and Ramon Hall to interview him. Tom directs them to the storage unit where his money is hidden, but Nivens convinces Hall to steal the money and keep it for themselves. Nivens and Hall confront Tom at gunpoint at his hotel, but Baker unexpectedly arrives; Nivens murders Baker, and Tom is forced to flee with Annie when she also arrives at the hotel.
Tom tells Annie everything and orders her to flee, fearing for her safety. However, she returns to the storage unit to get security camera evidence that shows Niven and Hall stealing the money. Niven and Hall show up and Niven knocks Annie unconscious, but an increasingly reluctant Hall tricks him into thinking she is dead and takes the evidence, unbeknownst to Nivens. Tom finds Annie and races her to the hospital. He then escapes from police pursuit, defeats Baker's partner Meyers in a fistfight, and tells him what really happened before escaping. Nivens goes to the hospital to kill Annie, but can't get near her because she is under police guard.
Tom ambushes Hall in his home and convinces him to give up the security footage at the storage company which would incriminate the agents and the location of the safe house where the money was kept. Tom gets Annie out of the hospital and leaves her in a safe place, then destroys Nivens' house. Nivens flees to the safe house and meets up with Hall, where Tom confronts them. When Nivens discovers Hall turned over the security footage, he murders him in a rage, wounds Tom, and escapes. Anticipating his actions, Tom plants a dud bomb in Nivens' car, forcing him to call in a bomb squad to disarm it. When the police discover the stolen money, Nivens is arrested.
Agent Meyers receives a voice recorder which recorded the conversation between Nivens and Hall before the gunfight at the safe house, proving Tom's innocence in the death of Agent Baker. Tom turns himself in, and Meyers promises to try to get a lighter sentence for Tom.
Cast[edit]
- Liam Neeson as Tom Dolan, an aging thief known as the "In-and-Out Bandit" out on the crime bank robbery.
- Kate Walsh as Annie Wilkins, Tom's love interest.
- Jai Courtney as Agent John Nivens, a corrupt FBI agent.
- Jeffrey Donovan as Agent Sean Meyers
- Anthony Ramos as Agent Ramon Hall, a corrupt FBI agent and John's partner.
- Robert Patrick as Agent Sam Baker
- Jasmine Cephas Jones as Beth Hall
Production[edit]
On October 12, 2018, it was announced that Liam Neeson and Kate Walsh would star as a bank robber Tom Carter and his love interest Annie, respectively, in the thriller film Honest Thief with Mark Williams directing it, while in talks for other roles were Jai Courtney and Jeffrey Donovan. Tai Duncan, Myles Nestel, Williams, and Craig Chapman would be producing the film.[5] Courtney and Donovan were confirmed along with Anthony Ramos, and Robert Patrick added to the cast in November, with filming beginning on November 5.[6][7] The film, set in Boston, was shot in and around Worcester, Massachusetts.[8]
Release[edit]
In January 2020, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for a September 4, 2020 release.[9] It was then re-scheduled to be released on October 9, 2020.[10] In June 2020, it was announced Open Road Films would co-distribute the film with Briarcliff.[11] After temporarily getting pulled from the schedule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the film's U.S. release was released on October 16, 2020.[12] Due to the lack of big-budget competition, the film also played in IMAX and Dolby theaters.[13][14]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
As of December 14, 2020, Honest Thief has grossed $14 million in the United States and Canada, and $14.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $28.8 million.[2][3]
In the United States, the film grossed $1.3 million from 2,425 on its first day, including $225,000 from Thursday night previews screenings. It went on to debut to $3.6 million ($4.1 million including Canada's opening weekend the previous week), topping the box office.[13] In its second weekend the film made $2.4 million, remaining in first,[15] before being dethroned by newcomer Come Play in its third weekend.[16]
Critical response[edit]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 40% based on 85 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Guilty of first-degree squandering, Honest Thief returns Liam Neeson to late-period action thriller mode but neglects to supply much of a story."[17] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18] According to PostTrak, 75% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 53% saying they would definitely recommend it.[13]
Owen Gleiberman of Variety complimented Neeson for not phoning in his performance but wrote "Honest Thief isn't incompetent (for a certain kind of pulp action fan, it delivers just enough of the goods), but it's a textbook case of an action movie that goes through the motions."[19] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck said the film "delivers exactly what you expect" and wrote: "Running a sleek 90 minutes before the credits roll, Honest Thief is certainly efficient if not exactly original, with writer/director Williams infusing it with enough quirky character touches — such as Tom crankily complaining how much he hates his 'In and Out Bandit' moniker — to distract from the derivative feeling of it all."[20]
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