The Art of the Steal
Directed by: Jonathan Sobol
Written by: Jonathan Sobol
Starring: Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon, Jay Baruchel, Kenneth Welsh, Chris Diamantopoulos, Katheryn Winnick, Jason Jones, Terence Stamp, Devon Bostick
Comedy/Crime - 90 min
Written by: Jonathan Sobol
Starring: Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon, Jay Baruchel, Kenneth Welsh, Chris Diamantopoulos, Katheryn Winnick, Jason Jones, Terence Stamp, Devon Bostick
Comedy/Crime - 90 min
There are many things The Art of the Steal is not. It is not verbally smart like Guy Ritchie heist films such as Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000). It is not hysterically funny like A Fish Called Wanda (1988). It is not action-packed like The Italian Job (2003) and it is not suave like Ocean’s 11 (2001). The Art of the Steal borrows a few elements from these previous examples for its caper plot aiming for some cheesy laugh lines, the low-down lingo, and a mostly well-known cast engaged in a long con.
Kurt Russell returns to the screen from a long hiatus as Crunch Calhoun, an art thief just released from five and a half years in a Polish prison courtesy of his half-brother, Nicki (Matt Dillon, 2012’s Girl Most Likely), who served him up to the cops to save his own skin. Crunch falls hard on the outside; he crashes his stunt bike on purpose at monster truck shows to earn a couple hundred more bucks. I wonder if that comes close to paying the medical bills he obviously incurs for smashing his body into pieces.
Laying around waxing philosophical to his new protégé, Francie (Jay Baruchel, 2013’s This is the End), about missing his fate, fate comes knocking on his door when one of Nicki’s new victims comes calling about a stolen painting worth over a million dollars. Crunch, eager to regain his fate, contacts his old crew including an Irishman who knows everyone, Paddy (Kenneth Welsh), their Frenchman forger, Guy (Chris Diamantopoulous), and Nicki. Burying bad blood and motivated by a big score, the crew start planning a new heist of a very rare book, the Gospel of James.
Also hanging around are an Interpol agent (Jason Jones, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show) and his stoolie informant trying to knock some years off his sentence (Terence Stamp). These two play off each other like the Odd Couple. The agent is a pretentious moron out of his league and Stamp is a grizzled old art thief who has seen it all before and is around for a wry wisecrack eager to point out the shortfalls of his lackluster leash-holder.
The ins and outs of the theft are nothing special; there is nothing new here for folks searching for the next plot twisty robbery. Crunch and crew go through the motions to create a by the numbers caper, but there is not too much here to keep and hold our attention. All heist genre fans know there is a big reveal on the way and by the time it arrives what should be a gut punch is more of a welcome respite to a lackluster setup.
Written and directed by Jonathan Sobol, this Canadian film is more of a celebration of another Kurt Russell sighting than anything else. There are a few juicy scenes including the retelling of the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911 and Jay Baruchel as a very nervous driver trying to cross the U.S./Canadian border with a tale about starring in Witness The Musical! There is also a very odd inclusion of a piece of art that is say…quite gynecological, but other than that, you will forget most of The Art of the Steal by the next morning.
Kurt Russell returns to the screen from a long hiatus as Crunch Calhoun, an art thief just released from five and a half years in a Polish prison courtesy of his half-brother, Nicki (Matt Dillon, 2012’s Girl Most Likely), who served him up to the cops to save his own skin. Crunch falls hard on the outside; he crashes his stunt bike on purpose at monster truck shows to earn a couple hundred more bucks. I wonder if that comes close to paying the medical bills he obviously incurs for smashing his body into pieces.
Laying around waxing philosophical to his new protégé, Francie (Jay Baruchel, 2013’s This is the End), about missing his fate, fate comes knocking on his door when one of Nicki’s new victims comes calling about a stolen painting worth over a million dollars. Crunch, eager to regain his fate, contacts his old crew including an Irishman who knows everyone, Paddy (Kenneth Welsh), their Frenchman forger, Guy (Chris Diamantopoulous), and Nicki. Burying bad blood and motivated by a big score, the crew start planning a new heist of a very rare book, the Gospel of James.
Also hanging around are an Interpol agent (Jason Jones, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show) and his stoolie informant trying to knock some years off his sentence (Terence Stamp). These two play off each other like the Odd Couple. The agent is a pretentious moron out of his league and Stamp is a grizzled old art thief who has seen it all before and is around for a wry wisecrack eager to point out the shortfalls of his lackluster leash-holder.
The ins and outs of the theft are nothing special; there is nothing new here for folks searching for the next plot twisty robbery. Crunch and crew go through the motions to create a by the numbers caper, but there is not too much here to keep and hold our attention. All heist genre fans know there is a big reveal on the way and by the time it arrives what should be a gut punch is more of a welcome respite to a lackluster setup.
Written and directed by Jonathan Sobol, this Canadian film is more of a celebration of another Kurt Russell sighting than anything else. There are a few juicy scenes including the retelling of the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911 and Jay Baruchel as a very nervous driver trying to cross the U.S./Canadian border with a tale about starring in Witness The Musical! There is also a very odd inclusion of a piece of art that is say…quite gynecological, but other than that, you will forget most of The Art of the Steal by the next morning.
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