Not to much came to the theaters this weekend, so I decided to take a look at my list of movies that have been out for a little while that I’ve been meaning to see. Since my local video store got shut down, and I’m too stubborn to stream most things, I went to a nearby Red Box to see what they had – so many good options is what! I settled on two short, but well reviewed movies: A Vigilante and Lying and Stealing.
A Vigilante centered around just that, a vigilante, that helps out people from abusive households. She beats a lot of people up, which makes her a total bad ass! We then learn about her past with her husband who wanted them and their son to live off the grid. She tries to escape with their son, but is stopped and their son is killed as a result of her husband’s rage. She eventually travels to a secluded cabin and is ambushed by her husband. In the end she manages to kill him and is able to successfully file his insurance policy.
Overall, this was a relatively violent and surprisingly sad installment. With all that and the short running time, the movie itself was a little quiet and seemed to drag on. I wasn’t a huge fan, but I definitely appreciate the performance Olivia Wilde gave!
With Lying and Stealing, I wasn’t totally sure what I would end up with. We focus on Ivan, who is an art thief that is seemingly paying back his father’s gambling debts to a shady man. While in the midst of a few heists, we run into Elyse, who is trying to make money with odd acting jobs to pay back what she stole from a big-wig director. Eventually, Elyse, along with Ivan’s unstable brother Ray, gets roped into Ivan’s last job which is essentially to kill before being killed, but still making some money in the process.
It was a film of excess and some delightfully snarky dialogue. Not being a fan of Emily Ratajkowski, but being a fan of Theo James, I was a little conflicted with seeing this. Thankfully, her character was pretty demure and a decent person, while the brothers had plenty of enjoyable back and forth scenes together. This film was fine to rent, but it’s not really theater-worthy. Give it a go if you’re feeling something a little criminal but also comical.