This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
In & Out Bandit
Plot Overview
Ex-Marines demolitions man
Tom Carter (Liam Neeson) has taken to robbing banks in his civilian
life to get the same adrenaline rush he had in the service sweeping mines.
Being careful and precise he's become wildly successful—earning
himself the moniker ‘in and out bandit’—though he
doesn't actually need the money. His life changes again upon meeting Annie
Wilkins (Kate Walsh) who provides all the kicks he needs. After a year
their relationship gets serious enough that he opts for total honesty:
to turn himself in to the FBI and return all the money he took in
exchange for a light sentence. Wild card Agents John Nivens (Jai Courtney)
and his partner Agent Hall (Anthony Ramos) make off with the dough, frame
Tom for the collateral damage, and land him in a pickle.
Ideology
Some choices are easier to undo than others. Scene one has Tom sneaking behind the desk at Aurora Self Storage when there's nobody there to help him, but he can come back around when the desk clerk shows up, no harm no foul. A year later he breaks into a house that's on the market to check it out. Again, no harm no foul. Taking a bank's money might be trickier.
Other choices are harder to undo. Agent
Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) has just been through an acrimonious divorce.
The judge split everything down the middle except the house and
the dog. The wife took the house, so Agent Meyers got Tazzie. Later
we get an earful when the wife calls him to complain that the dog
should have gone to her, but it's too late, at least with her approach.
When agents Nivens and Hall load the money from storage into their trunk, they could still designate it as “evidence.” When they transfer it to an unused safe house, it begins to look more like their “personal retirement funds.” But when they start to eliminate witnesses, they have crossed the Rubicon for sure. Hall's wife tells him belatedly, “Do what feels right and it will work itself out.” Nivens had offered this family man the easy way not to have to worry about mortgages and such.
King Solomon offered the fatherly advice: (Prov. 1:10-19)My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
Robbery too easily escalates into murder (“Nobody was supposed to get hurt”) and then into the demise of the robber(s.)
Production Values
“Honest Thief” (2020) was directed by Mark Williams. It was written by Steve Allrich and Mark Williams. It stars Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, and Jai Courtney. Neeson as the featured lead has the most memorable part, but Walsh gave a good performance, too, as well as Jai Courtney and Jeffrey Donovan. The supporting cast did its part well.
MPAA rated it PG–13 for strong violence, crude references and brief strong language. The featured couple was shown first meeting each other, then after a year discussing living together, but the whole intervening year was skipped sparing us the optics of an older couple fooling around—best relegated to the imagination. The action is toned down from other Neeson films to be more realistic.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
This movie gets cute towards the end when Agent Meyers seems to develop a rapport with Tom giving him his head to prove his innocence while for his part Tom returns a good faith gesture. The camera depicts the agent's license plate reading "MBIQ"; it's an acronym dealing with a control system for model rockets. Rockets are propelled by a controlled explosion, and the bank vaults were breached by same. These are two guys with similar hobbies who instinctively understand each other. Furthermore, when Meyers lost his house, his workshop would have necessarily gone with it, leaving him with fifteen pounds of furry mutt. Tom likewise gave up his hobby to be replaced by warm companionship. Clever, that.
If you like Liam Neeson films, think of this
one as Taken Lite, but still a demolitions expert is not to be
taken lightly. It's a less intense version of his usual fare.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action flick. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good Date Movie. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
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