Criminal

2004. Directed by Gregory Jacobs.

THE SHOT: John C. Reilly is a grifter who spends a day training a new partner and trying to sell a counterfeit, highly valuable piece of currency.

TONE: Sharp, sober, clear-eyed, edgy.  John C. Reilly is amazing in a daring performance as one of the most unlikeable protagonists in recent film history.  Diego Luna is his green, but willing-to-learn apprentice.

Many twists.  Only one I found improbable.

Can’t say too much more.  Don’t want to give it away.

Criminal life lived at a workaday, primitive level, exactingly recreated.  Razor-sharp acting and direction.  Thing really gets under your skin.

DOES CRIME PAY?  Well, that would be telling.

CONTEST STILL GOING ON!  TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE HEIST/CAPER MOVIES!  Only, it’s not really a contest.
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Comments

9 Responses to “Criminal”
  1. popebuck1 says:
    April 21, 2006 at 2:59 pm

    I have fond memories of a British film called “Loophole,” with Albert Finney as a law-abiding architect who gets sucked into a heist plan against his will (at least initially).

    And does “A Fish Called Wanda” count? I know, technically most of it is what takes place after the crime, but then, the same goes for “The Taking of Pelham 123.”

  2. gazblow says:
    April 21, 2006 at 5:05 pm

    Fave Heist/Caper Flicks

    I risk redundancy. I’m sure you’ve seen many of these:
    Rififi
    Sexy Beast
    The Getaway (I actually prefer the Alec Baldwin/Kim Basinger to the Steve McQueen/Ali McGraw but you should see both)
    Read My Lips (real good French film about a deaf girl and the ex-con she partners up with)

    I’ll send more if I think of it.

  3. Anonymous says:
    April 21, 2006 at 8:39 pm

    FAV HEIST/CAPER

    KELLY’S HERO’S
    YA GOTTA LOVE HIPPIE TANK DRIVERS IN WW2

  4. craigjclark says:
    April 21, 2006 at 10:57 pm

    For what it’s worth, Criminal is a remake of a Spanish film called Nine Queens, which played a few festivals and whizzed in and out of theaters a few years back. And the screenplay was co-written by executive producer Steven Soderbergh under one of his pseudonyms (Sam Lowry, I believe).

    As for my favorite heist/caper movies, I have to go with Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le flambeur and Le Cercle Rouge, both of which are must-sees. I also give high marks to The Great Muppet Caper (no kidding). Of the three Muppet movies made by Jim Henson, it’s the most underrated and under-seen.