Heist 88 is a thriller film following a criminal mastermind who attempts to orchestrate the biggest bank heist in US history. Inspired by true events, the film is streaming on Showtime and Paramount+.
Story
Jeremy Horne is a criminal mastermind who has only a few weeks to turn himself over to the authorities after a job gone wrong. He has plans to pull one final job and take care of his loved ones before going to prison.
His target is Chicago’s First National Bank, and he enlists the help of his nephew Marshall and Marshall’s friends, Rick, Danny, and LaDonna, who work at the bank but do not feel appreciated for the work that they do.
Jeremy has an incredible intellect and spots a weakness in the banking system and he knows exactly how to exploit it, and while the others have their worries, they agree to go ahead with the plan and make their lives better.
Performances
Courtney B. Vance is such a respectable name in the industry, yet, his performance here is very monotone, right down to his delivery. There is very little emotion in his voice and that affects much of the film.
Nican Robinson, Bentley Green, Precious Way, and Xavier Clyde have moments of note, but there exists very little chemistry between the crew that the audience is supposed to root for. They can also be accused of phoning it in at times.
Keith David and Keesha Sharp are wasted in their roles here as they barely contribute to the narrative.
Positives
It’s an incredibly impressive cast and with better direction and a sharper story, this would be a very different film. The casting works quite well and deserves better.
Negatives
The technical issues are where it begins going downhill for Heist 88. The audio is extremely suspect and the editing is all over the place with very awkward scene transitions.
The story isn’t fleshed out either, as Jeremy’s backstory or his connection to Buddha Ray and Bree isn’t explored sufficiently. They mention the last job that went poorly but there is very little more information about it which is disappointing.
Even the lives of the rest of the crew are glazed over and everything feels very rushed through. From the off, the narrative moves quickly without thoroughly establishing the motives of the characters.
The ending is supposed to be this thrilling swerve and yet, it is very forgettable just like the rest of the film. Not investing in the characters initially will have that effect on the end result.
Verdict
Heist 88 is a poor excuse for a heist film that bores you from start to finish with very poor acting and an underwhelming story. The building blocks are great but the execution is disappointing as what the audience gets is a subpar film.
Heist 88
Director: Menhaj Huda
Date Created: 2023-09-29 00:00
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