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Honest Thief

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For the short story, see An Honest Thief.
Honest Thief
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMark Williams
Written by
Produced by
  • Mark Williams
  • Myles Nestel
  • Tai Duncan
  • Craig Chapman
Starring
CinematographyShelly Johnson
Edited byMichael P. Shawver
Music byMark Isham[1]
Production
companies
  • Zero Gravity Management
  • The Solution Entertainment Group
  • Sprockefeller Pictures
  • Argonaut Entertainment Partners
Distributed by
Release date
  • October 16, 2020 (2020-10-16) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$13.2 million[2][3]

Honest Thief is a 2020 American action thriller film[4] directed by Mark Williams, from a screenplay by Williams and Steve Allrich. The film stars Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos and Robert Patrick, and follows a former bank robber who turns himself into authorities, only to be set up by them.

Honest Thief was theatrically released, including in IMAX, in the United States on October 16, 2020, by Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment. The film received mixed reviews from critics who praised Neeson's performance but noted the film's familiarity.

Plot

Sneaking around Boston for years, Tom (Liam Neeson) has become a master thief, earning the nickname the "In-and-Out Bandit" for his slick ways when it comes to stealing large amounts of money. When he meets Annie (Kate Walsh), a psychology graduate student working at a storage unit facility, his heart melts, commencing a relationship that lasts a year before he's ready to commit to something more. Ready to turn himself in to the FBI in exchange for a short sentence, Tom also wants to live peacefully with Annie. The feds don't immediately believe Tom is the In-and-Out Bandit, with Agent Baker (Robert Patrick) blowing him off, sending underlings to conduct an interview with the criminal. When Agent Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Agent Hall (Anthony Ramos) are sent in to see if Tom is a real thief, they are led to boxes of money that challenge their dedication to duty. Electing to take the cash for themselves and murder Tom, the agents' plan is soon disrupted by the suspect's particular set of skills, seeing him escape into the city to protect Annie while they scramble to cover their tracks as Agent Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan), their superior, gets involved in the hunt.

Tom ambushed Agent Hall in his home, and convinced him to give up the security footage at the storage company which would incriminate the agents, and the location of the safe house where the money was kept. After blowing up Agent Nivens' house while deliberately sparing his life, he followed Nivens to the safe house, knowing that Nivens would try to make a run with the money. A gunfight followed at the safe house where Hall was killed and Tom was wounded. Nivens tried to drive away with the money, but he was intercepted by Tom's threat to detonate the bomb if he continues driving or attempts to leave the vehicle. Bomb squad arrives and attempts to defuse the bomb, only to find out that there is no detonator and the bomb is impossible to explode. Nivens is arrested by the feds.

Agent Meyers receives a voice recorder which recorded the conversation between Nivens and Hall before the gunfight at the safe house, proving Tom's innocence in the death of Agent Baker. Tom turns himself in, and Meyers promises to try to get a lighter sentence for Tom.

Cast

Production

On October 12, 2018, it was announced that Liam Neeson and Kate Walsh would star as a bank robber Tom Carter and his love interest Annie, respectively, in the thriller film Honest Thief with Mark Williams directing it, while in talks for other roles were Jai Courtney and Jeffrey Donovan. Tai Duncan, Myles Nestel, Williams, and Craig Chapman would be producing the film.[5] Courtney and Donovan were confirmed along with Anthony Ramos, and Robert Patrick added to the cast in November, with filming beginning on November 5.[6][7] The film, set in Boston, was shot in and around Worcester, Massachusetts.[8]

Release

In January 2020, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for a September 4, 2020 release.[9] It was then re-scheduled to be released on October 9, 2020.[10] In June 2020, it was announced Open Road Films would co-distribute the film with Briarcliff.[11] After temporarily getting pulled from the schedule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the film's U.S. release was set for October 16, 2020.[12] Due to the lack of big-budget competition, the film also played in IMAX and Dolby theaters.[13][14]

Reception

Box office

As of October 27, 2020, Honest Thief has grossed $7.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $5.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $13.2 million.[2][3]

In the United States, the film grossed $1.3 million from 2,425 on its first day, including $225,000 from Thursday night previews screenings. It went on to debut to $3.6 million ($4.1 million including Canada's opening weekend the previous week), topping the box office.[13] In its second weekend the film made $2.4 million, remaining in first.[15]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 39% based on 76 reviews, with an average rating of 4.86/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Guilty of first-degree squandering, Honest Thief returns Liam Neeson to late-period action thriller mode but neglects to supply much of a story."[16] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17] According to PostTrak, 75% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 53% saying they would definitely recommend it.[13]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety complimented Neeson for not phoning in his performance but wrote "Honest Thief isn't incompetent (for a certain kind of pulp action fan, it delivers just enough of the goods), but it's a textbook case of an action movie that goes through the motions."[18] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck said the film "delivers exactly what you expect" and wrote: "Running a sleek 90 minutes before the credits roll, Honest Thief is certainly efficient if not exactly original, with writer/director Williams infusing it with enough quirky character touches — such as Tom crankily complaining how much he hates his 'In and Out Bandit' moniker — to distract from the derivative feeling of it all."[19]

References

  1. ^ "Mark Isham to Score Mark Williams' 'Honest Thief'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Honest Thief (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Honest Thief (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "Liam Neeson Action-Thriller 'Honest Thief' Sells To UK". Deadline Hollywood.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (October 12, 2018). "Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh To Star In 'Honest Thief'". Deadline. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "'Hamilton' Star Anthony Ramos Joins Liam Neeson's 'Honest Thief' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  7. ^ "Robert Patrick In Talks To Board Liam Neeson-Kate Walsh Action-Thriller 'Honest Thief'". Deadline.
  8. ^ Semon, Craig S. (July 31, 2020). "'Honest Thief' trailer showcases Liam Neeson's visit to Worcester". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  9. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (January 22, 2020). "Briarcliff Entertainment Acquires U.S. Rights To 'Honest Thief;' Action Thriller Stars Liam Neeson & Kate Walsh". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  10. ^ Chitwood, Adam (July 30, 2020). "Liam Neeson Blows Shit Up in Exclusive Trailer for Crime Thriller 'Honest Thief'". Collider. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Vlessing, Etan (June 22, 2020). "Open Road Relaunches With Liam Neeson's 'Honest Thief' Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  12. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 22, 2020). "Open Road's Liam Neeson Action-Thriller 'Honest Thief' Going Wide This Fall, A Week Later". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 18, 2020). "Liam Neeson Action Pic 'Honest Thief' Nabbing $4M+ Total By Sunday; 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' Awakens – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  14. ^ "Honest Thief". IMAX.
  15. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 25, 2020). "'Honest Thief' Continues To Lead Lackluster Pandemic Box Office, 'Empty Man' Tripped By Holdovers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "Honest Thief (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Honest Thief Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  18. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (October 13, 2020). "'Honest Thief' Review: Liam Neeson, Mad as Hell Again, as a Bank Robber Who Tries to Turn Himself In". Variety. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  19. ^ Scheck, Frank (October 13, 2020). "'Honest Thief': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

External links

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