Crime 101

The first thing I thought when I started watching the film was: “If I had started this at home, I probably would have already skipped ahead.” From the very first minutes—about the first seven—the film felt heavy. It didn’t move. A female voiceover opened the movie, and all I wanted was for it to end so the film could actually begin. And maybe that’s my main issue with it. This is essentially a classic heist movie—something that’s supposed to be sharp, dynamic, and full of momentum. Instead, the filmmakers tried to layer it with artistic depth. There are stunning shots—truly beautiful cinematography. More than once I found myself thinking, “That’s a really great shot.” But a second later, the inevitable question followed: why do I need to see this? My honest answer was: I don’t. If you want to make an art film, go all the way. But don’t try to balance artistic ambition with major Hollywood names associated with mainstream entertainment like Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo (whom I secretly hoped would appear as little as possible), and Halle Berry. These are actors who bring in wide audiences and generate headlines—for something that ultimately feels, unfortunately, quite dull. Let’s put it this way: almost everything interesting about the film is already in the trailer. The rest feels stretched out, as if I’m living alongside the characters for an extended period, quietly observing them—and it’s just not engaging enough. The action scenes themselves are excellent, no doubt about that. But I have to make an effort to remember them, because everything around them is wrapped in a cloud of sluggish pacing. In a TikTok and Instagram world, a film needs to grab you from the very first second. This one chooses a slow-burn approach—and that can work. But for it to succeed, the audience needs anticipation. There need to be turning points, rule-breaking moments, something that justifies the wait. Here, the plot is mostly linear. It isn’t surprising—and perhaps it doesn’t even try to be. I expected something in the spirit of Ocean's Eleven, but unfortunately it wasn’t even close. And the fact that the name “Ocean” is mentioned several times throughout the film doesn’t help the inevitable comparison. When there was action—when something actually happened—the story became engaging. In those moments, I was hooked. At one point, I even jumped slightly in my seat. But you can’t take a few strong scenes and use them to define the entire film. In the end, if I had watched this at home, I probably would have skipped straight to the action sequences—and not much beyond that.