He is an HONEST THIEF

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray/DVD and Digital from director Mark Williams and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the story of an HONEST THIEF.

Tom Dolan (Liam Neeson) is looking for a storage unit when he is taken with Annie Wilkins (Kate Walsh). A year later they are still going strong, but something is bothering Tom. He has a past that he’s trying to steer clear of, but Tom knows it is time to face it.

Calling Sam Baker (Robert Patrick) at the FBI, he confesses to a crime and makes certain requests when they come and get him. Waiting and waiting, he calls again and speaks to Baker’s partner Sean Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) who passes the file down to John Nivens (Jai Courtney) and partner Ramon Hall (Anthony Ramos) to follow up on.

When they get to Tom’s hotel room, they hear his story and go to check it out. Finding that the story is true, Meyers and Hall hatch a plan of their own and their boss is caught in the crossfire. Tom realizes that instead of clearing his life, things just got more complicated and Annie could be in danger.

That is when Tom decides that no one is going to hurt the woman he loves or get away with taking his chance of a life.

He is determined.

Neeson as Dolan is a man who has done something illegal and knows that the time is coming to face it. When he does, it is because a woman has come into his life and he does not want to go one step further without clearing everything up. As an action star, Neeson has proven himself time and time again and with good films being hard to come by, HONEST THIEF is 99 minutes of a straight story with solid action and Neeson carries it well.

Walsh as Annie is a woman who embraces her relationship with Tom. Not knowing about his past is what is going to cause her to be in danger. Once she knows what is happening, she does not hesitate to stand by her man. Patrick as Baker is not thrilled with Tom’s continual phone calls wanting to confess and his first mistake is passing off the file. It is nice to see Patrick in the film.

Courtney as Nivens is a cop who is as bad as he wants to be. Not seeing an issue with the problems, he and partner Hall keep creating, he continues to take it one step further than it needs to go. Courtney has the ability to give bad all the badness it needs. Ramos as Hall is Nivens partner that has every opportunity to stop what is coming but instead falls is swayed by fear.

Donovan as Meyers is a cop who is furious about Baker and wants Dolan found, and found immediately. When he finally has a chance to meet Dolan, he realizes something is not right with everything that is happening. Donovan can do both a good and bad character and I like his ability to do both extremely well.

Other cast include and Beth Hall as Jasmine, Lewis Wheeler as ER Doc, Jose Alves as Jose, Patty O’Neil as Sharon and Tazzie as Tazzie.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

HONEST THIEF is a wild ride of a story that does not let up from start to finish. The plot is not complicated, but it is fun to watch unravel. Neeson continues his roles as a man looking for redemption but there is always someone in his way. That means he is going to make it clear that no one is going to get away without paying a price.

As I said, this is a 99-minute thrill ride that is a nice break from the world around us and a fun way to bring in the New Year. So, buckle up and remember Dolan isn’t about to sit around and let someone else dictate his past sins!

In the end – never steal a man’s second chance!

 

SEMPER FI Brings Loyalty and Brotherhood

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres, On Demand and digital from writer/director Henry-Alex Rubin, co-writer Sean Mullin and Lionsgate is the story of brothers and brotherhood with SEMPER FI.

Callahan (Jai Courtney) is a police officer in a small town but also a reservist in the Marine Corps along with his friends and brother Oyster (Nat Wolff). Hanging out with Jaeger (Finn Wittrock), Milk (Beau Knapp), Snowball (Arturo Castro), they enjoy their time together just have a bit of fun.

Cal has been keeping an eye on his younger brother Oyster since their mother died and it is a job big brother takes seriously. Helping him stay out of trouble has also brought tension to the brothers that occasionally come to the surface.   As the gang goes out for a night of drinks, they all know that going to Iraq is very close. Cal warns Oyster to stay out of trouble but gets a snarky reply.

Later in the evening, Cal gets a telephone call that his brother is wanted for beating up a man at the bar. Having no choice, he goes to look for his brother wanting to be the one to arrest him before anything else happens. It doesn't go well and Oyster is sent to prison while Cal is sent to Iraq. The brother each fight to stay alive but in different ways. Cal is faced with his own decisions in war when his platoon is attacked. Oyster is fighting corruption from those that should be protecting him.

Returning home Cal visits his brother in jail and is met with disdain and hostility but it is clear that something bad is happening to Oyster. Cal reaches out to anyone that he things can help but all he is told is that there is a possibility the younger brother can be transferred. He tries to discover why Oyster is out of legal options only to find out there is something nefarious happening.

That's when he decides the only recourse is to be a law man who is about to break that law and with help!

Courtney as Callahan is a complex character being that he is a big brother put in a position of responsibility at a young age to be a father figure. As he gets older, he sees the path Oyster is on and will do anything to help him avoid the painful effects of bad decisions. Courtney has made a career portraying a stern faced and by the book leader roles and it's because he makes it work beautifully. This is an intense role because of the truths behind it with war and a sense of brotherhood that has brotherhood attached to it as well.

Wolff as Oyster clearly has issues that he has not dealt with and a history that is filled with pain and fear. Instead of the brothers dealing with that history, Wolff holds anger towards his brother that is taken to the stratosphere when Cal is the one who arrests him. Wrapped up in himself, he can't see past that anger and blames everyone else for his own bad choices. Wolff is that little brother many of us can relate to and that brings the viewer deeper into the relationships with Cal.

Knapp, Castro and Wittrock are Cal and Oyster's military brothers who see what is happening between them and tries to keep the peace. When they all go to Iraq without Oyster, these men follow their leader Cal because that's what brothers do, watch out for each other and trust that their leader will get them home. Once home, they all understand the pain Cal is going through when he sees Oyster in prison and will follow both brothers into another kind of battle.

Other cast include Leighton Meester as Clara, Rachel Hendrix as Rachel, Wayne Pere as Tom Nichols, Ashton Leigh as Val, Sylvia Crim as Carrie, Rob Mello as Tony, Lance Nichols as Balfour, Jared Bankens as DJ Dwyer, Mehdi Merali as Jalal and William Harris as Dr. Stall.

SEMPER FI is a story with many layers beginning with the brothers and ending with brotherhood. It shares within the story the struggles of those returning from war to try and find their way yet never forgetting who got them home in the first place. Another layer is that of a brotherhood that happens for soldiers in the military. In this instance it is a brotherhood that supports one another and even though it is an unusual situation, it is still not far-fetched.

Films like SEMPER FI are important in that they address such serious issues that soldiers face when they return from war. In the case of Cal he is fighting what happened after the attack and how to deal with it once home. Trying to be strong for his brother and 'brothers' is difficult and the strain becomes too much at one point. When it comes to Oyster, it is his brothers who let him know that nothing is impossible together.

Sean Mullin is an award-winning screenwriter and film director but previous to that was a Captain in the New York Amy National Guard and a first responder after the September 11th attacks. He spent his time working as the Officer in Charge of the soldiers stationed at Ground Zero. His critically-acclaimed debut - AMIRA & SAM won at numerous film festivals and was distributed by Drafthouse Films. He is the co-writer and co-producer of SEMPER FI along with Academy Award Nominated director Henry-Alex Rubin. Also involved is Academy Award nominated producer of WHIPLASH David Lancaster.

In the end - honor your brother!