Not 'The One'

IT’S always a huge disappointment when you hear about a film that sounds like the best thing since sliced bread but when you watch it, it falls hideously short of your expectations.

The premise is great, there’s an A-list cast… what could possibly go wrong?  Well, in two words, Keanu Reeves.
Imagine being sent to prison for a crime you didn’t commit? Having years of your life stolen from you would make you pretty angry, right?

Well, you’d think so, but with Reeves it’s hard to tell because of his lack of facial expression. Have you ever seen his surprised face, happy face, sad face? It always looks the same!

The movie begins with Henry (Reeves) a tollbooth operator working the night shift in New York. He’s the type of guy who spends most of his life in a daydream or to put it more succinctly … the wheel is spinning but the hamster is dead.

Some of his old friends decide to make their daydreams of robbing a bank become reality. They trick him into driving the getaway car and before Henry knows it, his friends have flown the coop and he’s the only one arrested.

Despite the situation he finds himself in, he refuses to name his accomplices and is sentenced to 18-months behind bars for a crime he had no part in.

Things are looking bleak for Henry until he meets his cellmate, Max (Caan), a veteran conman who has spent so long in prison that he has become ‘institutionalised’ and appears content to spend the rest of his life there.

The two form an almost immediate bond and over the months Max teaches Henry the tricks of his trade, turning him into a new man.

As he nears his release from the slammer, Henry decides that when he’s free, since he’s done the time for it, anyway, he’s going to rob the same bank he was sent away for.

However, he can’t do it alone and persuades Max to apply for parole so he can help him tunnel into the bank from the theatre next door.

That’s the only problem, in order to gain access to the theatre, Henry must join a production being staged there. In order to avoid suspicion he gets more involved with the production and in the process he falls in love with the leading lady (Farmiga). As the deadline for the heist nears, Henry must decide whether to follow his heart or give into his need for retribution.

Like I said earlier, in my opinion Reeves lacks the necessary depth and range to successfully pull off this role and frankly, Caan and Farmiga are more entertaining to watch than him. Yes, there are elements of deadpan humour that Reeves manages to coast by with but it’s just not enough to carry the entire film.

The real crime here is that a script with great potential has been butchered by the casting. Reeves may be ‘the one’ but he’s definitely not the right one for this film, in my opinion.

Showing in Cineco, Seef II and Saar Cineplex