The Art of the Steal (2013)

"If you've got no trust, then what do you got?"

Crunch Calhoun (Russell) is a reformed art thief, turned daredevil.  After a stint in prison, he gave up the life of crime.  He agrees to reassemble the old team for one last score.  His shady brother Nicky (Dillon) is the brains of the operation, Uncle Paddy (Welsh) has the right connections, Guy (Diamantopoulous) is the forager, and they bring along Crunch's apprentice Francie (Baruchel).  They need to find a way to steal a priceless book from a Customs station in Canada.

Meanwhile, Interpol Agent Bick (Jones) is chasing after them with the reluctant help of art thief Samuel Winter (Stamp).  Can the team successfully pull off the heist, or will old betrayals get in the way.


I was pleasantly surprised by this film.  I had a free rental from Redbox and decided to give this film a chance.  It seems like a fairly predictable heist film and sets up the actual heist well, without drawing it out too long... but then it flips the board and shows you something new.  The surprises work well and make the story much more interesting and worth a second viewing to see what you missed the first time.

The film has the advantage of having a great cast.  Kurt Russell is a compelling lead and believable in the role.  Jay Baruchel is good as the voice of reason / audience surrogate.  Jason Jones, of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," is perfect for his role.  I loved his exchanges with Terence Stamp's character, who gets the best comebacks.  Matt Dillon has a talent for playing slimely characters, and puts that to good use here.  The characters are compelling and interesting.

The story hooks you from the beginning and keeps you guessing.  Check it out, you won't regret it.

The Art of the Steal (2013) 90 minutes
Rating: R for language throughout including some sexual references
Director: Jonathan Sobol
Starring: Kurt Russell as Crunch Calhoun
Matt Dillon as Nicky Calhoun
Jay Baruchel as Francie Tobin
Kenneth Welsh as Paddy McCarthy
Chris Diamantopoulos as Guy de Cornet
Katheryn Winnick as Lola
Jason Jones as Interpol Agent Bick
Terrence Stamp as Samuel Winter