Life of Crime (2014)

The Age of Commercialism

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

A Masterpiece!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Remember the movie Ruthless People? It was really funny, right? Who, in their infinite brilliance, decided to remake this movie and make it a frightening drama? The preview of this movie is incredibly misleading; it makes it seem like a regular comedic remake. A rich woman is kidnapped, and her husband is thrilled by her absence, rather than eager to pay the ransom money. Again I ask, who decided to make this a drama? Jennifer Aniston plays the wife, and gives a solid dramatic performance, as she usually does when given the chance. She reminds the audience that she is in real danger, and that her kidnappers could hurt her, or worse.I didn't happen to like it, because I kept waiting for the jokes to start. If you go into it knowing it's a tension-filled, upsetting kidnapping movie—and you actually like that type of movie—you might, well, like it a little.Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to sex scenes and extremely upsetting situations, I wouldn't let my kids watch it. Also, there may or may not be a rape scene.

The movie does not have any important message besides that about trust maybe. Orwell Robbie betrays his partner Louis Gara when he thinks Louis would not agree to kill Mickey Dawson. Makes you think that you can't trust anyone. A lesson about karma can also be seen. Melanie cheating on Frank Dawson just as he did on his wife. But I mean what else would you expect from a woman like Melanie that gets involved with a married man. Overall however, the movie is too slow and definitely not a typical Jennifer Aniston movie. There is not a lot of action and it gets boring at times. The ending is the best part. Its hilarious and turns the cards around. It makes you like Mickey, Louis and Orwell. They become a cool 'couple folks'. Frank is portrayed as the typical bed man in this movie. He drinks a lot causing marriage problems and instead of improving himself he chooses to go after a younger woman that makes it seem as she accepts him for whom he is but in reality she does not care a bit about him. He is a fraud and self-loving men. Why is he that way the movie does not show. Jen's acting is top as always. However, who did the editing on the scenes when Louis brings Mickey home, a high school student? It's terrible. Overall I would not recommend this movie. I did not enjoy it.

With a generous peppering of dark humor, some all around great acting and a vibe that just drips late 1970's, Life of Crime is a fun ride. While it's inevitably compared with other similar films, I prefer to just look at it on its own. To that end, I'd caution a potential viewer against expecting pure comedy - the situation and some of the characters are definitely disturbing in some aspects. But the cast clicks well together and makes those funny moments hit home. Another caution - if you're not into period feel, you may find this film frustrating to watch. It's so well-placed in 1978 that it looks like it could have actually been filmed then (well except for modern technical details). I did notice one anachronism but apart from that it was flawless in depicting its era.In short, it's a great flick to watch if you're in the mood for something gritty and dotted with black comedy, something funky and unusual with a lot of sleaze and just enough class thrown in to make its story worth your time.

It's 1978 Detroit. Louis Gara (John Hawkes) and Ordell Robbie (Yasiin Bey) are petty criminal best friends. Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins) is a brash abusive real-estate developer. While Frank and his son Bo are away, Louis and Ordell with neo-Nazi Richard Monk kidnap Frank's wife Mickey (Jennifer Aniston). Marshall Taylor (Will Forte) had interrupted the kidnapping but he is unwilling to reveal the crime. Meanwhile Frank is in the Bahamas with girlfriend Melanie (Isla Fisher). He tells her that he's getting divorced. The kidnappers want $1 million ransom but it's questionable if Frank would ever pay.This is an Elmore Leonard movie or a pale imitation of one. It has the bare bones of unconventional lowlife characters and their desperate eccentric idiocy that is the world of Elmore Leonard. It has some good actors. There are some fun wild moments like a lit cigarette in the eye. However Daniel Schechter doesn't have quite enough skills to bring Elmore's words into full bloom.