THE HURRICANE HEIST (2018)

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Rob Cohen
Cast: Maggie Grace, Toby Kebbell, Ryan Kwanten, Ralph Ineson, Melissa Bolona, Ben Cross
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Intense Sequences)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://www.hurricaneheistmovie.com

Opening Day: 5 April 2018

Synopsis: Opportunistic criminals infiltrate a US Mint facility to steal $600m and plan to escape using the eye of the worst hurricane in recorded history as cover. A plucky treasury agent (Maggie Grace) and a troubled stormchaser (Toby Kebbell) with a monstrous ride must survive the storm, save the hostages and stop the thieves from executing their daring heist before the town is reduced to rubble.

Movie Review:

A heist. That happens during a hurricane.

Yup, that’s what this movie is about. Talk about creative titles – the folks behind this disaster action flick probably didn’t bother coming up with something catchier, and “The Hurricane Heist” would have to do. Not that this should affect your decision to catch this seemingly B grade movie on the big screen though, because it serves up a decent dose of entertainment to keep you engaged for 103 minutes.

The story by Anthony Fingleton and Carlos Davis is actually somewhat imaginative. A team of audacious hackers comes up with an outrageous plan of robbing a treasury, then escaping with the loot in the midst of a Category 5 hurricane. Kudos to anyone who dares to pull this off in real life.  

But because good guys are always around to foil evil plans, enter a meteorologist (how coincidental), his elder brother who is a former Marine (how patriotic), and a righteous treasury agent (it’s always good to include a strong female protagonist). Will they stop the thieves from accomplishing the heist? You bet, but not before everyone battles stormy rains and scary winds.

And that is what viewers are paying to watch, actually. A large portion of the movie’s production budget of $45 million probably went into using CGI to create the torrential rains and howling winds. You also get people, vehicles, buildings and other inanimate objects crashing together and being sucked into Mother Nature’s wrath. There are two particularly well played out sequences: watch out for the opening scene where two kids see their poor father blown away by a deadly hurricane, and a thrilling scene where the protagonists outwit the villains by tying themselves to some sort of rope while the baddies get mercilessly destroyed by an even deadlier hurricane.

The finale is a worthy guilty pleasure as well. You see three money laden trucks being chased by a hurricane. Without giving too much away, you will see human beings and dollar bills being flung into the air like disposables.

Who cares whether there is logic behind this movie? Obviously, it is not to be taken seriously. You will get the memo when a gigantic skull glares down from the eye of the hurricane in the opening scene. Director Rob Cohen, who has helmed other action flicks like The Fast and the Furious (2001), XXX (2002) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) probably also doesn’t want you to take his latest work seriously. The cheesy lines from Scott Windhauser and Jeff Dixon’s screenplay doesn’t bother us much either.

If there’s one thing that this movie lacks, it is star power. If Toby Kebbell (Kong: Skull Island), Maggie Grace (Taken 3) and Ryan Kwanten (Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole) were replaced by more bankable celebrities (it is inevitable that you the ensemble cast of the Fast & Furious franchise comes to mind), the movie would have gotten much more publicity from the media, and attention from the general public.

Movie Rating:

(There is no logic in this guilty pleasure of a movie – just watch it and be mindlessly entertained)

Review by John Li