The Hurricane Heist

Rob Cohen’s ludicrous disaster/thriller does exactly what it says on the tin.

A major hurricane is approaching the small town of New Hope, providing the perfect opportunity for a group of armed thieves to enter a US mint facility in order to steal $600 million. Needless to say, things fail to go according to plan…

The spectacular prologue is promising and sets up the situation where two young boys lose their father during the Andrew Hurricane of 1992. Fast forward to the present day and the now estranged brothers Will (Toby Kebbell) and Breeze (Ryan Kwanten) find themselves in the middle of the heist trying hard to survive – as well as to make any sense of the pedestrian dialogue.

This is a curious project to say the least: an American blockbuster directed by numbers with dodgy special effects filmed in Bulgaria and with many British actors (including Kebbell as the main protagonist). Ben Cross, the once promising lead actor of Chariots of Fire, makes a brief appearance as Dixon, an untrustworthy police officer with a funny accent, while Ralph Ineson is one of the most OTT and ineffective villains of recent memory. One redeeming feature is Maggie Grace’s Casey, a gutsy heroine who manages to keep her dignity despite the catastrophe around her.

GEORGE SAVVIDES

Cast: Toby Kebbell, Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten, Melissa Bolona, Ralph Ineson, Ben Cross.

Dir Rob Cohen, Pro Karen Elise Baldwin, Moshe Diamant, Christopher Milburn, Danny Roth, Michael Tadross Jr and Damiano Tucci, Screenplay Jeff Dixon and Scott Windhauser, Ph Shelly Johnson, Pro Des Kes Bonnet, Ed Niven Howie, Music Lorne Balfe, Costumes Irina Kotcheva.

Foresight Unlimited/Parkside Pictures/Windfall Productions/Tadross Media Group-Altitude Film Distribution.
102 mins. USA. 2018. Rel: 6 April 2018. Cert. 12A.