Stolen

Year: 2012
Genre: Action
Director: Simon West


Plot: A recently released bank robber has to rescue his daughter, who's been kidnapped by his former partner. He has to rob another bank in 12 hours or she's dead.


The gist: Remember when Nicolas Cage and Simon West made a film called Con Air? It was over the top and ridiculous, but it was so much fun and I loved it.

Stolen is ridiculous too, but other than that, it's the total opposite of Con Air. It's stupid and dull, and marks yet another bad film project from Cage.

Cage plays a bank robber who's supposedly the smartest bank robber in the country (Really?), who destroyed the loot he took from a bank job after being cornered by the cops, and subsequently sent to jail. Eight years later, he comes out and tries to reconnect with his daughter, but before he can make amends for lost time, his old partner shows up and kidnaps her, and demands his share of the loot.

It's just laughable watching Cage run down the street when he's obviously in no shape to do so anymore. But what's even worse is seeing Josh Lucas wearing the worst wig of all time in an attempt to play a villain.

The film attempts to be smart but fails more often than not. One is having Danny Huston as the lead detective wear a hat, as if he was a wise old hound. But Morgan Freeman he ain't, as he is too easily fooled by Cage's character. The twists West tries to incorporate are either badly done or predictable.


The good: There's a decent car chase sequence at the film's opening 15 minutes, the key word being decent. There's a scene where Cage is speaking with a cab company owner with a Cajun accent, which was quite funny. Other than that, can't think of anything else here.

The bad: Josh Lucas wins the Worst Villain of the Year award. Does he seriously think he can be intimidating with a wig and a wooden leg, and the worst lines ever written? Then there's the dull plot, messy execution and badly conceived characters. Poor Malin Akerman had almost nothing to do here too.


Verdict: It's a bad movie. Go watch Con Air instead. (2/5)