Band of Robbers
| Band of Robbers | |
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 Theatrical Poster for Band of Robbers | |
| Directed by | Aaron and Adam Nee |
| Written by |
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| Based on | The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Noah Rosenthal |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Joel P. West |
Production company | Torn Sky Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Gravitas Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $20,555[1] |
Band of Robbers is a 2015 American crime comedy film written and directed by brothers Aaron and Adam Nee based on Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this modern-day retelling, the two iconic rascals are grown up and small-time crooks still searching for the fabled Murrell's treasure that has eluded them since childhood. The story draws heavily from Twain's classic novels, including characters, plot twists and even dialogue.
Plot
When Huck Finn (Kyle Gallner) is released from jail he is greeted by his lifelong friend, Tom Sawyer (Adam Nee), now an underachieving cop who just can't let go of their childhood dreams of wealth and glory. Tom convinces the reluctant Huck and their bumbling friends Joe Harper (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Ben Rogers (Hannibal Buress) to rob a pawnshop where their friend and contact, the alcoholic vagrant Muff Potter (Cooper Huckabee), believes Injun Joe (Stephen Lang), a savage and murderous white career criminal who admires and appropriates Native American culture, has hidden Murrell's treasure. Tom explains that robbing bad guys makes them the good guys. Things get complicated when Tom's commander assigns him to train Becky Thatcher (Melissa Benoist), an eager-to-please rookie partner, and the hung-over band of robbers' heist goes awry. But that doesn't stop Tom; instead, he leads the band on a wild treasure hunt from one mysterious clue to another. When Huck's friend, Mexican day laborer Jorge Jimenez (Daniel Edward Mora), is mistaken as part of the band's activities and arrested, Huck and Tom, on the run from a vengeful Injun Joe and the police, lead the band on a mission to rescue him and be "heroes".
Cast
- Kyle Gallner as Huck Finn
- Gabriel Bateman as Young Huck Finn
- Adam Nee as Tom Sawyer
- Willem Miller as Young Tom Sawyer
- Matthew Gray Gubler as Joe Harper
- Hannibal Buress as Ben Rogers
- Melissa Benoist as Officer Becky Thatcher
- Daniel Edward Mora as Jorge Jimenez aka Jim
- Stephen Lang as Injun Joe
- Eric Christian Olsen as Detective Sid Sawyer
- Johnny Pemberton as Tommy Barnes
- Beth Grant as Widow Douglas
- Cooper Huckabee as Muff Potter
- Lee Garlington as Lt. Polly
- Creed Bratton as Dobbins
- Josh Harp as Packard
- Jack Wallace as Doc Robinson
- Maria Blasucci as Amy Lawrence
- Brian Sacca as Detective Temple
- Jeff Newburg as Pap Finn
Release
Band of Robbers was picked up for distribution by Gravitas Ventures and had a limited release on January 15, 2016 in theaters in 11 cities.[2] Its now available on iTunes/VOD.
Reception
Band of Robbers received generally positive reviews from The New York Times,[3] Variety,[4] and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.[5] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.51/10.[6] It has received comparison to the films of Wes Anderson, particularly Bottle Rocket, and the Coen Brothers.[7]
It won the Director's Choice Award at the Naples Film Festival.[8]
References
- ^ "Band of Robbers (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ^ Brooks, Brian (January 17, 2016). "Oscar Nominees 'Brooklyn,' 'Room,' 'Spotlight' Jump; 'Lady In The Van' Solid – Specialty B.O." Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (January 14, 2016). "Review: 'Band of Robbers' Riffs on Mark Twain Characters in Today's Missouri". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (January 16, 2016). "Film Review: 'Band of Robbers'". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ Connors, Joanna. "'Band of Robbers' review: Clever modern twist on Mark Twain is comedy treasure". cleveland.com. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ "Band Of Robbers (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- ^ "Review: Band of Robbers". JoBlo. The JoBlo Network. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- ^ "2015 Festival Winners". Naples International Film Festival. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2019.