The Art of the Steal (2013)

Genre : Comedy/Crime
Country :Canada/USA

Cast :
Kurt Russell : Crunch Calhoun
Matt Dillon : Nicky Calhoun
Terence Stamp : Samuel Winter

Director :
Jonathan Sobol

Summary
Crunch Calhoun is a daredevil on a motorcycle and a part-time art thief. He even agrees to do a final job with his brother Nicky. He manages to get his old team back together to steal an invaluable historical book. However Nicky comes up with a much more risky plan. The two brothers don't realize that they each have a hidden agenda.

My opinion

Ocean's Eleven meets Trance

You have to admit that the subject isn't very original, and there are several films made about this theme. It is in the line of "The Italian Job" and "Matchstick Men". Again a con man scammed by a fellow con man. But I have to say that it's a damn relaxing film, with a not unpleasant, cunningly made up plan (even if you realize after a while that it will come down to that), and sometimes not unkind funny conversations and situations.

Technically the movie also looks absolutely beautiful. It reminds you of the '70s sometimes. The only thing that began to disturb after a while, is that they used the same style over and over again to introduce new characters. Kurt Russell and Matt Dillon interpret the two brothers Crunch and Nicky Calhoun who aren't exactly best buddies, as Nicky has ensured that Crunch ended up in a Polish prison. That Polish part didn't quite resemble reality, as I read in some responses on IMDb. It looks bleak, however, and not particularly pleasant to stay there. You'd be pissed off for less. Russell does not bad, although I will always see him as "Snake Plissken" from "Escape from New York" from 1981. Dillon plays on auto-pilot and has never been able to score higher since "The Outsiders" in 1983.

The most notable roles were played by Jay Baruchel as Francie and Kenneth Welsh as Uncle Paddy. Baruchel sometimes uses hilariously dry humor. Welsh played a sophisticated gentleman with brainy intellectual humor. Nevertheless, he was sometimes funny. The weakest part he had to act was the moment he had to seduce the expert (A former lover who he cheated on with her sister) again, who must approve the antique book. This was so melodramatic and exaggerated. For the rest, there were still several fragments that will put a smile on your face. Such as a former fellow member of Nicky who came to claim his reward with an eye-patch and threatened Crunch with an antique pistol. You'll be facing a tsunami of wordplay's. It was chuckle time.

Conclusion: a typical story that's easy to swallow, with some humor and a twist that you saw from afar arrive, but was pretty smart put together. An excellent movie for a regular Friday night ...