Early in David Mackenzie's career, he did erotic dramas and thrillers. The Scottish filmmaker had a knack for them. He pivoted and began doing more crime dramas, such as Starred Up (2014). His film Hell or High Water (2016) was a watershed moment in his career. That film was nominated for four Oscars at the 89th Academy Awards. Mackenzie himself wasn't nominated but Hell or High Water certainly put him on the path of doing more Hollywood productions and bigger budget productions. Mackenzie's Outlaw King (2018) was the largest budgeted film he's ever directed. It was a period piece, a large historical epic, which really didn't seem to be his forte. His follow-up was a come-down from that epic bombast. It was called Relay (2025) and it was a much simpler showcase for Mackenzie, which had the protagonist pretty much staying in one location for much of it. This current film seems to split the difference. It's a moderate budget that works incredibly well. It's confined in a lot of ways, but there is certainly some scope and scale here that definitely makes it feel large.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kraven the Hunter and Outlaw King) stars as Will Tranter, a Major in the British Army who served in Afghanistan a decade ago. He was part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD, unit. If you recall Jeremy Renner's character in The Hurt Locker (2009), Tranter is the equivalent. However, in present day, he's working out of London. During World War II, Nazi Germany conducted what was called the "Blitz" in which it dropped thousands of ordnance weapons onto London in 1940. Many of them didn't explode and were simply buried underground amongst the debris of the other bombs that were dropped. It's not uncommon therefore that these ordnance weapons are found during construction crews digging up certain places. As such, Tranter heads a team that is meant to disarm these weapons, which have the power to take out whole city blocks.
Theo James (The Gentlemen and The White Lotus) co-stars as Karalis, a high-end thief. One day, when an exploded ordnance is found in the Westminster area of London, Karalis takes the opportunity to pull off a huge heist of a bank that's in that neighborhood. It's perfect because in order for EOD to do its job, it requires that the entire city block be evacuated and the power be shut off, so the bank's alarms and security are effectively shut off, which helps Karalis and his team to sneak in undetected. As with any heist film, it's never that easy. It's funny because James was just in The Gentlemen (2024), which is a spin-off of the Guy Ritchie heist film of the same name in 2019. It's funny because this film in a lot of ways feels like it could've been directed by Ritchie. Yet, it doesn't have the overt humor and comedy that Ritchie has embraced for nearly 30 years.
Mackenzie has done a comedy before, so to speak, but his filmography proves that humor and comedy aren't really his thing. There are humorous moments in his films every now and then. I'm thinking of one moment in particular in Hell or High Water that definitely garners a laugh. Most of the time, it's the charm of his actors that brings any levity. James and Taylor-Johnson are holding up that end somewhat. The first half of this feature doesn't have a lot of charm. It's mainly a heist that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The second half though does allow a little of the actors' charms to peak through. Again, it's nowhere near what we'd get in a Ritchie film. James' character is a bit in the backseat for that first half. The second half has him in the front seat more. Actually, he's in the trunk of the car, but it's like he's in the front seat. Really, it's only one scene that Taylor-Johnson gets to be cheeky and charming, but that one scene also feels ripped from The Hurt Locker.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki and The Morning Show) also co-stars as Zuzana, the Chief Superintendent. She's basically overseeing the police unit that is on site, providing back-up and coordination for the EOD. Her role is rather a functional one. I wanted her to be the equivalent of the Jeff Bridges' character in Hell or High Water where the weight between the cops and robbers were equal or more balanced. That's not the case here. This film is clearly on the side of the robbers and they're the ones who are the true protagonists.
Sam Worthington (Avatar and Terminator Salvation) rounds out the cast as X, one of the members of Karalis' crew. He's one of the bank robbers and thieves who have to cut into a steel vault. Yet, he's very suspicious of Karalis. He actually doesn't trust anybody. He probably thinks the plan is crazy, given all the moving parts that we see play out. Obviously, with a lot of heist films, we usually spend time with the thieves before the heist, so we can see them planning for everything. It's good because it makes for a great contrast when things invariably go wrong. This film doesn't do that. It simply drops us on the day of the heist and keeps us in that day for pretty much the entire running time. It doesn't leave much space to do any further characterization of Worthington's persona. However, the narrative and the script for it is so taut that I didn't mind, not getting to know the backstory for Worthington's character.
Rated R for language and violence.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 38 mins.
In theaters.
