Tonight's Movie: Honest Thief (2020)

I was hoping to see HONEST THIEF (2020) when it came out in October 2020, but I didn't manage to see it when theaters were open in Southern California that fall.

I've now finally caught up with it and quite enjoyed it. It's another good Liam Neeson action film in the mode of films such as UNKNOWN (2011), NON-STOP (2014), and THE COMMUTER (2018).

In HONEST THIEF Neeson plays the title character, Tom Dolan, who has a past as a methodical, non-violent bank robber.

Tom meets charming Annie (Kate Walsh of GREY'S ANATOMY) and after a year together he decides he's got to clear his past so that they can enjoy a guilt-free future. Tom has never spent any of the stolen money and plans to turn it all in to the FBI in exchange for a reduced sentence; he's hoping that when he confesses to Annie she'll stand by him and wait for his release from prison.

Tom contacts FBI Agents Parker (Robert Patrick) and Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan of BURN NOTICE), but they're initially skeptical that he's the real deal. They send Agents Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Hall (Anthony Ramos) to meet with Dolan and do the initial investigation, but Nivens gets one look at the money and wants it for himself. He manages to browbeat his partner into agreeing.

Nivens and a protesting but compliant Hall are about to cover their tracks for stealing the money by staging Dolan's death when their boss Agent Parker arrives on scene, and let's just say things get very, very complicated from that point on. Dolan not only has to pay for his past sins and set things straight with Annie, he's got to clear himself from a charge of murder...and keep Nivens from killing him and Annie while he's doing it.

This was a solid, enjoyable film which has pretty much just what one wants from a Neeson action film: Car chases, clever tricks, and a little romance, all in service of a pretty good story.

The movie takes some time midway through to work through why Tom stole in the first place, as well as dealing with Annie's shock at the news her beloved boyfriend's a bank robber. We know it's all a fantasy, but screenwriters Mark Williams and Steve Allrich think of all the right questions to cover at this juncture, and Neeson and Walsh do a pretty convincing job with the material.

By the end of the movie Annie actually enjoys it when Tom blows something up, exclaiming an appreciative "Wow!" It's pretty cute. Neeson and Walsh have excellent chemistry, and I frankly also loved that the leads in this romantic action movie were in their 50s and 60s when it was filmed.

Donovan has a good role as an FBI investigator who has just gone through a divorce; all he got in the settlement was the dog, who follows him through his workday. Donovan's laid-back scenes with his partner underscore the humdrum nature of many police investigations, but the audience, like Tom, really comes to appreciate Agent Meyers as the movie goes on. Unlike Nivens and Hall, he's an honest, ethical man Tom can trust, and in turn Meyers develops a certain appreciation for Tom.

One of the reviews which had initially interested me in the film a couple years ago was by Frank Scheck at the Hollywood Reporter, who accurately wrote "Minus its elaborate car chases and pyrotechnics, the film would have landed perfectly as a '40s-era Warner Brothers programmer..." It really is a good, old-fashioned story.

Like movies of an older era, it's also very nicely paced and knows when to quit. The running time is 99 minutes, but if one subtracts the lengthy end credits, the story's told in about 90 minutes. Perfect.

Mark Williams directed. The movie was filmed by Shelly Johnson. Much of the film was shot on location around Worcester, Massachusetts.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13 for some language and violence; it's not particularly graphic. As PG-13 films go, I've seen plenty with much heavier content.

A trailer is here. Those who don't like spoilers should be aware the trailer hits a lot of the movie's high points in just over two minutes.

HONEST THIEF is available in a Blu-ray/DVD combination package or as a DVD release.

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