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Honest Thief
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| Honest Thief | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mark Williams |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Shelly Johnson |
| Edited by | Michael Shawver |
| Music by | Mark Isham[1] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[3] |
| Box office | $32.6 million[4][5] |
Honest Thief is a 2020 American action thriller film[6] 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 (Liam Neeson) who decides to turn himself in to the FBI, only to be set up by corrupt agents.
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.[7][8]
Plot
[edit]Tom Dolan is a former US Marine demolitions expert. After years of service, Tom decides to use his knowledge and skills to become a bank robber. He successfully robs a string of banks, and becomes known to the public as the "In-and-Out Bandit". One day, while he is storing stolen money in a storage unit, he meets Annie Wilkins, a psychology graduate student employed by the storage facility. Unaware that the money is stolen, Annie helps him store the money, and the two of them hit it off and are soon inseparable.
A year later, Tom, wanting to live a life with Annie without the guilt of his past, calls the FBI and offers to surrender himself and the ill-gotten money to the government in exchange for a much more lenient sentence. FBI special agent Sam Baker agrees to meet with him the next day. However, tied up with other business, Baker assigns the case to lower-ranking agents John Nivens and Ramon Hall.
Nivens and Hall meet with Tom to take his statement, and Tom reveals the location of the stolen money, in the storage unit he had rented. The agents visit the storage unit, realize he was telling the truth, and decide to keep the money for themselves. They go back to the hotel to kill off Tom, but Tom reveals that they only have three million dollars, not nine. At this point, Agent Baker arrives at Tom’s hotel room. Nivens shoots and kills Baker with a 9mm, then points the gun at Tom, who charges at him. Tom and Nivens fall through the hotel window and land in front of Annie, who is on her way to visit Tom.
Tom and Annie drive away; Nivens and Hall keep shooting at them, and they barely escape safely. Tom then confesses to Annie that he had turned to bank robbery as revenge for his father's CEO's unfair treatment of him. (Tom’s father had become depressed after the death of Tom’s mother, and had later committed suicide.) Tom explains that once he’d started robbing banks he kept doing it because it was exhilarating. He advises Annie to board a bus to keep herself safe, which she does. However, unbeknownst to Tom, Annie gets off the bus near Tom’s storage unit, planning to pick up the storage unit's security-footage card. While she is at the storage unit, Nivens and Hall arrive; they too have come to pick up the security-footage card, to cover their tracks. Nivens knocks Annie unconscious and he and Hall leave. Tom soon finds her and rushes her to the hospital. When Baker's partner, Sean Meyers, attempts to arrest Tom, Tom explains everything and then escapes, managing to evade capture by Meyers. Driven by angst and suspicion, Meyers begins to notice discrepancies in Nivens' story.
Tom goes to Hall’s home, ambushes him there, gets him to reveal the location of the safe house, and gets the security-footage card from him. Hall warns Tom to get Annie out of the hospital before Nivens kills her, which he does. Tom then asks Annie for her help in getting the security-footage card to Meyers. Meanwhile, Nivens barely escapes a bomb planted to destroy his home, and makes his way to the safe house, expecting to find Hall there alone. To his surprise, Tom is also waiting for him there. When Nivens learns that Tom had already gotten the security-footage card from Hall and had arranged for it to be turned in to Meyers, he flies into a rage and murders Hall. Tom struggles with Nivens and is wounded, but manages to fight him off. Nivens takes the money and gets into his car to drive away. But Tom calls Nivens and tells him he can’t leave his car because there is a pressure-sensitive IED under his car seat. Nivens is forced to call the bomb squad and wait for them in his car. Meyers quickly arrives to apprehend Nivens; his car is searched; the stolen money is recovered; and it’s revealed that the IED is a dud.
Annie gives Meyers the rest of the stolen money (hidden in another storage unit) as well as Hall’s voice recording of Tom's confrontation with Nivens, in which Nivens admits to murdering both Baker and Hall.
Knowing that he must take responsibility for the bank robberies and for stealing the nine million dollars, Tom confesses and turns himself in. Meyers recognizes Tom’s integrity, admires his dedication, and gives him credit for exposing Nivens' illegal activities. He promises that he will do what he can to lessen Tom’s sentence, and muses that, under different circumstances, Tom would have made a terrific FBI agent.
Cast
[edit]- Liam Neeson as Tom Dolan, the aging "In-and-Out Bandit".
- 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, FBI agent and Baker's partner.
- Anthony Ramos as Agent Ramon Hall, an FBI agent and John's partner.
- Robert Patrick as Agent Sam Baker, FBI agent
- Jasmine Cephas Jones as Beth Hall, Agent Hall's wife.
Production
[edit]On October 12, 2018, it was announced that Liam Neeson and Kate Walsh would star in the thriller film Honest Thief, as bank robber Tom and his love interest Annie, respectively, with Mark Williams directing. Jai Courtney and Jeffrey Donovan were also in talks for roles, with Tai Duncan, Myles Nestel, Williams, and Craig Chapman producing the film.[9] Courtney and Donovan were later confirmed along with Anthony Ramos, and Robert Patrick added to the cast in November, with filming set to begin on November 5.[10][11] The film was set in Boston, and shot in and around Worcester, Massachusetts.[12]
Release
[edit]In January 2020, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for a September 4, 2020 release.[13] It was then rescheduled to be released on October 9, 2020.[14] In June 2020, it was announced Open Road Films would co-distribute the film with Briarcliff.[15] After temporarily being pulled from the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's ultimate U.S. release date was October 16, 2020.[16] Due to the lack of big-budget competition, the film also played in IMAX and Dolby theaters.[17][18]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]Honest Thief grossed $14.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $18.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $32.6 million.[4][5]
In the United States, the film grossed $1.3 million from 2,425 theaters on its first day, including $225,000 from Thursday night preview screenings. It went on to debut to $3.6 million, or $4.1 million including Canada's opening weekend the previous week, topping the box office.[17] In its second weekend the film made $2.4 million, remaining in first,[19] before being dethroned by newcomer Come Play in its third weekend.[20]
Critical response
[edit]On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Honest Thief holds an approval rating of 41% based on 111 reviews, with an average score of 5/10. 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."[21] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[22] According to PostTrak, 75% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 53% saying they would definitely recommend it.[17]
Owen Gleiberman of Variety complimented Neeson for not phoning in his performance, but added, "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."[23] Frank Scheck for The Hollywood Reporter 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."[24]
References
[edit]- ^ "Mark Isham to Score Mark Williams' 'Honest Thief'". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ "Honest Thief". British Board of Film Classification.
- ^ John Jurgensen (January 25, 2021). "Liam Neeson Is the Secret Weapon for Getting People Into Movie Theaters". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Honest Thief (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ a b "Honest Thief (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ "Liam Neeson Action-Thriller 'Honest Thief' Sells To UK". Deadline Hollywood. February 18, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ Loftus, Johnny (March 12, 2021). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Honest Thief' on Amazon Prime, Another Movie In Which Liam Neeson Has To Teach Some Bad People A Lesson". Decider.com. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Lemire, Christy (October 16, 2020). "Reviews: Honest Thief". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (October 12, 2018). "Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh To Star In 'Honest Thief'". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "'Hamilton' Star Anthony Ramos Joins Liam Neeson's 'Honest Thief' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. November 2018. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ "Robert Patrick In Talks To Board Liam Neeson-Kate Walsh Action-Thriller 'Honest Thief'". Deadline. November 26, 2018. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ Semon, Craig S. (July 31, 2020). "'Honest Thief' trailer showcases Liam Neeson's visit to Worcester". Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (January 22, 2020). "Briarcliff Entertainment Acquires U.S. Rights To 'Honest Thief;' Action Thriller Stars Liam Neeson & Kate Walsh". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 23, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (July 30, 2020). "Liam Neeson Blows Shit Up in Exclusive Trailer for Crime Thriller 'Honest Thief'". Collider. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (June 22, 2020). "Open Road Relaunches With Liam Neeson's 'Honest Thief' Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 22, 2020). "Open Road's Liam Neeson Action-Thriller 'Honest Thief' Going Wide This Fall, A Week Later". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 18, 2020). "Liam Neeson Action Pic 'Honest Thief' Nabbing $4M+ Total By Sunday; 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' Awakens – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ "Honest Thief". IMAX. October 8, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 25, 2020). "'Honest Thief' Continues To Lead Lackluster Pandemic Box Office, 'Empty Man' Tripped By Holdovers". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 1, 2020). "Focus Features-Amblin Horror Movie 'Come Play' Leading Halloween Pandemic Weekend B.O. With $3M+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "Honest Thief (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Honest Thief Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (October 13, 2020). "'Honest Thief' Review: Liam Neeson, Mad as Hell Again, as a Bank Robber Who Tries to Turn Himself In". Variety. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ Scheck, Frank (October 13, 2020). "'Honest Thief': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
External links
[edit]- Honest Thief at IMDb
Honest Thief
View on GrokipediaNarrative Elements
Plot
Tom Dolan, a skilled and non-violent bank robber known as the "In-and-Out Bandit," has successfully stolen $9 million from 12 small-town banks across seven states over eight years, always escaping without detection or harm to others.[5] Tom's robberies were motivated by revenge for his father's suicide, caused by a bank's wrongful foreclosure on their home due to a false fraud accusation. Motivated by his newfound love for Annie Wilkins, a kind-hearted woman he meets while renting a storage unit, Tom decides to confess his crimes and return the stolen money in exchange for a reduced prison sentence, seeking redemption and a fresh start together.[6] To facilitate his surrender, Tom contacts the FBI directly by phone, providing proof of his identity and the locations of the hidden cash. The meeting is arranged with Special Agent Sam Baker, but the case draws the attention of two corrupt agents, John Nivens and Ramon Hall, who view the situation as an opportunity for personal gain rather than justice. Instead of honoring the deal, Nivens and Hall murder Baker during a meeting and frame Tom for the killing, igniting a desperate pursuit to seize the money for themselves.[7] As the agents close in, Tom races to protect Annie, who is shot in the head by Nivens while retrieving evidence at the storage unit and ends up hospitalized in critical condition.[7] Tom confronts the agents at one of his storage units in a tense standoff, revealing his internal conflict over his criminal past and his determination to trust in the system one last time for Annie's sake and his own redemption. The narrative builds to a high-stakes showdown, underscoring themes of betrayal, loyalty, and the possibility of atonement through Tom's unyielding fight against corruption.[6][8]Cast
Liam Neeson as Tom DolanLiam Neeson stars as Tom Dolan, a reformed professional bank robber nicknamed the "In-and-Out Bandit" due to his efficient heists, who seeks to make amends for his past crimes after finding love. A former Marine and demolitions expert, Dolan's character embodies a quest for redemption while leveraging his skills in tense confrontations. Neeson, who has built a career in late-career action thrillers like the Taken franchise and The Grey, delivers a performance that highlights the protagonist's internal conflict and physical prowess.[5] Kate Walsh as Annie Wilkins
Kate Walsh portrays Annie Wilkins, Tom Dolan's love interest and emotional anchor, a storage facility manager whose relationship with Dolan provides him stability and motivation to change his life. Wilkins represents a grounding influence amid the film's high-stakes drama, offering moments of tenderness that contrast the action elements.[5] Jai Courtney as Special Agent John Nivens
Jai Courtney plays Special Agent John Nivens, an ambitious and corrupt FBI agent serving as the primary antagonist, whose drive for personal gain propels much of the story's conflict. Nivens' role underscores themes of institutional betrayal, with Courtney drawing on his experience in antagonistic parts from films like Suicide Squad.[5] Jeffrey Donovan as Special Agent Sean Meyers
Jeffrey Donovan appears as Special Agent Sean Meyers, the seasoned FBI supervisor overseeing the investigation into Dolan, whose personal struggles add depth to his authoritative presence. Meyers functions as a more principled counterpoint within the bureau, navigating professional duties alongside family issues.[5] Robert Patrick as Special Agent Sam Baker
Robert Patrick portrays Special Agent Sam Baker, an honest FBI agent who is killed by Nivens early in the plot, sparking the central conflict. Known for tough roles in films like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Patrick brings intensity to Baker's straightforward integrity.[5] Anthony Ramos as Special Agent Ramon Hall
Anthony Ramos plays Special Agent Ramon Hall, a younger FBI agent drawn into the corrupt plot by his superiors, highlighting the vulnerabilities of junior officers in a flawed system. Hall's role adds layers to the ensemble, showcasing Ramos' transition from Broadway and musical films like In the Heights to thriller territory. Notably, Hall's wife Beth is played by Ramos' real-life fiancée, Jasmine Cephas Jones.[5][9]
