BEFORE: Now, where was I before I left for San Diego? That's right, bank robbery. So let's get back into it with this bank robbery film, starring Harrison Ford - who I guess was at Comic-Con, though of course I didn't see him...
THE PLOT: A security specialist is forced into robbing the bank that he's protecting, as a bid to pay off his family's ransom.
AFTER: This turned out to be a tight, tense little thriller. I guess what I'm looking for in a cops-and-robbers film is something not too long (this one's a very manageable 105 minutes) so it doesn't waste my time, and something sort of twisty, which this is.
Harrison Ford plays Jack Stanfield, the bank security expert, who lives something of a routine life - but the problem with falling into any routine is that if one's life can be predicted, there could be people willing to take advantage of those patterns. The group of bank robbers, led by Paul Bettany's character, use their extensive knowledge of Stanfield's position and his family's routine to break in and hold his wife and children hostage, forcing him to comply with their demands to steal millions from the bank via electronic transfers.
It's a smart plan, targeting the bank's richest clients, each of whom probably won't miss $10,000 from their accounts - but put enough $10,000 transfers together, and you're talking about some serious green.
The plot turns into a mindgame between Stanfield and the robbers, trying to outsmart each other with schemes and various electronic devices. I don't want to give too much away here - this movie didn't waste a lot of my time, so I don't want to waste a lot of yours. I've still got three more weeks of cops-and-robbers films left.
Also starring Virginia Madsen (last seen in "A Prairie Home Companion"), Robert Patrick (last seen in "Walk the Line"), Alan Arkin (last seen in "Get Smart"), and Robert Forster.
RATING: 7 out of 10 surveillance cameras
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