filmland / By Charlie Myers

Unhappy Families

The story centers on a group of armored car employees led, in a way, by Mike Cochrone (Dillon). Each morning, Mike picks up Ty Hackett (Columbus Short, Cadillac Records), a single dad and a war hero who was awarded the Silver Star in Iraq, en route to work where Ty is a rookie trying to earn his security guard shield. The war hero aspect is not an arbitrarily chosen character trait but a crucial narrative point.

Ty is also in deep financial trouble and as a result he is pressured into joining a planned $42 million heist by Mike, joining a group that includes Quinn (Reno), Raines (Fishburne), Palmer (Prison Break‘s Amaury Nolasco) and Dobbs (Jericho‘s Skeet Ulrich). It’s supposed to be a bloodless caper, but naturally things go horribly awry.

At its center, though, this is a film about character, particularly the character that is exhibited in dire circumstances. Violence does eventually break out, but director Nimród Antal keeps it strictly in the service of the plot and for character revelation.

When initially persuading Ty to join the group, Mike told him “There’s no bad guys here.” As it turns out, there are almost no good guys. This is a solidly acted, well-directed film with a nice ironic twist for an ending. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence, some disturbing images and brief strong language. 88m. At the Broadway.

Continuing

2012. The world blows up despite John Cusack’s fine acting abilities. Rated PG-13. 158m. At the Broadway, Mill Creek and Fortuna.

THE BLIND SIDE. A homeless African-American youth is taken in by a well-to-do white family who help him realize his football potential. Rated PG-13. 126m. At the Broadway, the Minor, Fortuna and Mill Creek.

COUPLES RETREAT. Vince Vaughn leads a group of married friends to a tropical island resort in Couples Retreat. They soon discover that participation in the hotel’s couples therapy is not optional. Rated PG-13. 108m. At the Movies.

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