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American Heist (2014)

R  |   |  Action, Crime, Drama  |  24 July 2015 (USA)
5.1
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Ratings: 5.1/10 from 8,579 users   Metascore: 23/100
Reviews: 28 user | 26 critic | 6 from Metacritic.com

James owes his life to his older brother, Frankie after taking the rap for a crime they committed together. While Frankie served time, James worked to turn his life around, got a steady job and began courting his former girlfriend Emily. Now, Frankie is released and back on the streets with no money and no place to go.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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James Kelly
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Frankie Kelly
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Emily
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Sugar
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Ray
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Spoonie
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Auto Shop Boss
John McConell ...
Bank Manager
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Police Captain
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House
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Eyewitness
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Loan Officer
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Hostage Woman
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Katie
Belinda Delgado ...
Stripper
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Storyline

James (Hayden Christensen) owes his life to his older brother, Frankie (Adrien Brody) after taking the rap for a crime they committed together. While Frankie served time, James worked to turn his life around, got a steady job and began courting his former girlfriend Emily (Jordana Brewster). Now, Frankie is released and back on the streets with no money and no place to go. He turns to his underworld connections (Akon) and convinces James to join him in hopes that one last job will be the solution to change both their lives. Written by Lionsgate

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexual material and brief drug use. | See all certifications »

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Details

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Release Date:

24 July 2015 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Amerikansayagi Qaret  »

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Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Jordana Brewster is actually 1 year older than Hayden Christensen in real life. See more »

Goofs

The Fiat doesn't have a carburetor; it is fuel injected. See more »

Quotes

Ray: The banking institutions are more dangerous than the army.
See more »

Connections

Remake of The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery (1959) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Firing blank despite the decent cast and production value
11 July 2015 | by (Indonesia) – See all my reviews

There seems to be something inherently lacking about American Heist. Be it may the boring pace or the lackluster script, the movie is considerably basic and uninteresting. Story follows James (Hayden Christensen) who is forced to do a heist by his brother Frankie (Adrien Brody). That's practically all there is to it, yet the movie is needlessly bloated by pointless cliché of crime drama.

It takes literally an hour before any momentum can be achieved. At that span of time American Heist is a repetitive foray of tired love subplot and awkward script which consists of refined use of words such as "Fuck" and "Bro" in every other sentences. It feels so dreary and dry as the cast could perform so much more.

Adrien Brody is certified good, bless him for trying so hard with so little, although in the end the performance is unintentionally uncomfortable. Hayden Christensen can definitely deliver better performance, in fact he did in Takers, which is exactly the same genre. Heck, even Jordana Brewster in Fast and Furious franchise has had better material to work with. Her role in this film is so redundant, almost a glorified wallflower even.

This is quite surprising since the movie has some good production. When it gets going the cinematography is pretty good. Using action oriented shots and presentation with the city in rain, the tension is elevated on the last act. However, it's barely enough to get audience's attention, especially after the comparatively weak start.

American Heist may boast some famous name and a glint of decent visual, but the tedious and generic material is a waste of time and money.


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