The Hard Easy (2007)

A pretty awful Tarrantino try-hard wannabe flick with poor characterisations and a plot that is supposed to be exciting I suppose that just gets dull due to well pretty much any factor.The acting is below average, most of the actors are decent usually (with exception of Jessica Simpson's ex-husband Nick Lachey who was equally bad in 'RISE (2007)'). Vera Farmiga is usually one of my favourite actresses but I have no idea why she did this movie, granted she wasn't a household name when the movie was made, which spent years on the shelves before being released straight to DVD in the US (unsurprising I'm sure to those that have seen it) and she can't carry this turd up no matter how hard she tries (even though she doesn't).It starts with the main players robbing a bank then it goes back into time for the next hour of how this robbery came to be and it is truly a unfascinating story of the same old same old with no true struggles that could be able to gain interest with the viewers.The movie also flows very badly, the editing is terrible, occasionally fast cut and occasionally few and long single shots in a scene there is no real rhyme or reason to it either, feels very amateurish.And throw in a bunch of f-bombs that screams of desperation to keep the edge and coolness of the movie, but it fails, as does the movie on all accounts.

I've always wondered why in movies folks can shoot off 200 or 300 rounds from AK-47s at someone such as Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, or Arnold Schwarzenegger without drawing blood, while in real life a cop will draw his service revolver thinking it's his TAZER and kill someone dead. The first person (of 11) shown shot to death in this film is snuffed out in that gray area of accidentally-on-purpose, which seems more realistic than the events of most crime flicks. (This victim is the only black character in THE HARD EASY, but this is no doubt the result of random unconsciousness on the part of first-time director Ari Ryan.) Ryan uses a lot of restraint (which he credits to his limited CGI budget during the DVD "bonus" director's interview) in pulling back from a RESERVOIR DOGS-level of violence, so when it appears a loan shark is cutting off the main character's pinkie, it later turns out it was "only" broken (and a "clean" break, at that!). If film-goers were given a prospectus on the 11 main characters in advance, they probably would put the two eventual survivors among their top three to "stay on the island." Therefore, this movie gets the maximum rating its limited budget and corresponding cast could hope to attain.

Sure, it's a genre picture, but a stylishly directed and well acted one. First time helmer Ryan especially gets great performances out of the character actors (Weller and Dern) who haven't had a chance to strut their stuff on screen like this in years. I do wish Ryan's talents in striking a nice balance between action, noir, and drama had been matched by a smarter screenplay (you want the plot to twist more and not just thicken). However, all in all it's a great showcase for some fine acting (not only by the aforementioned Weller and Dern; Farmiga, Boreanaz, and especially Thomas also come off quite well)and director Ryan, who seems to exhibit the same muscular craftsmanship of a young Sidney Lumet or Michael Mann.

In Los Angeles, the gambler Paul Weston (Henry Thomas) is a loser, and owes a lot of money to the dangerous mobster Freddie (Rae Allen). When he is brutally beaten and the life of his former wife is threatened by the Freddie, his acquaintance bartender Vinnie (Gary Busey) sends him to Dr. Charlie Brooks (Vera Farmiga) first and then he convinces him to participate of a heist in the jewelry district with the professional thief Gene (Bruce Dern) to raise the necessary money to pay his debt. Meanwhile, the stock market broker Roger Hargitay (David Boreanaz) finds that the company where he works embezzled US$ 5,000,000.00 from their clients and he will be arrested in a couple of days. His boss Ed Koster (Peter Weller) convinces Roger and two co-workers to participate in an easy robbery of a jewelry planned by an inside man. On Saturday morning, both gangs arrive in the same jewelry for the same heist at the same time."The Hard Easy" is a surprisingly funny and entertaining movie. The screenplay is well developed and the direction and acting are good, in spite of the exaggerated and histrionic performance of Peter Weller. The scene where Vera Farmiga "rapes" Henry Thomas is very sexy, and I really liked this film. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Duplo Assalto" ("Double Heist")