When I initially began to watch Righteous Thieves, I hoped for a thrill ride in the vein of the Ocean’s movies, The Italian Job, and especially Leverage - heist depictions that specialize in creating characters focused on stealing back ill-gotten gains from those who had clearly been involved in stripping treasures from others. What I got was a muddled story with undeveloped characters and a failure to truly set up the stakes of the heist, leading to a lack of payoff, surrounded by so many inconsistencies that I had to sit and justify my initial reaction to the ending of the film.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of very redemptive qualities to the film: the acting is honestly very good, the intro credits are really fun to watch, the cinematography is beautiful. However: the most important piece of a film is the story: no matter how beautiful it looks or how much the actors can convey their belief in the characters, and no matter how fun the special effects are, if the story is bad or feels unfinished, a film can become unwatchable, and Righteous Thieves finds itself as a half-finished take on a tired genre trope: reclaiming Nazi plunder.
But the movie really suffers because it never takes the time to actually establish anything: sure, the villain is a believer in “Aryan supremacy”, and supposedly a Neo-Nazi, but the closest the viewer gets to actually experiencing his villainy is when one character, Annabel, attempts a honeypot style con with “a friend”, as two attractive and overly sexualized women (no explanation at all as to who the second is) try to seduce their way into his home in an attempt to confirm stolen art is actually there, and he turns them down because they “aren’t pure enough”. It’s made evident very quickly that the entire cast of the heisters have worked with Lucille (Jaina Lee Ortiz), but there is absolutely no effort made to explain or establish her past with Eddie (Carlos Miranda), Annabel (Lisa Vidal), or Nadia (Sasha Merci) - the filmmakers get a pass for Bruno (Cam Gigandet), the “Wild Card”, as he’s intentionally brought in since someone else is in prison, or even an explanation about why Eddie trusts her, why Annabel is being used by the FBI to check their firewalls as punishment, or what Nadia is even actually good at beyond talking nerdy about locks. There’s an unexplained flame between Eddie and Annabel that is hinted at in an overplayed lean over the shoulder and then completely unconvincing when it’s used as the justification for why Annabel should overlook Lucille’s “dark secret”: her personal connection to the former owner of the paintings supposedly kept by the Neo-Nazi “oligarch”. Add into the mix that a supposed Neo-Nazi is surrounded by “German” former KSK security (seemingly all played by people of color) and you get a mix of confusing elements surrounding what could have been a good story. The undertone of race would normally be explainable and a positive asset in the story, but the choice of majority women of color for the main roles feels like an odd point.
The ultimate letdown for me is that after they do manage to locate, breach, and escape from the vault in the Neo-Nazi oligarch’s home, the ultimate goal of the heist is to donate the art to a museum, not actually profit in any way from the heist. The writer failed to really set this up as Lucille’s goal: she keeps talking about a promise to Joseph, the man who caught her breaking into a safe in the 80s and brought her into a secret organization that primarily seeks to retrieve Nazi plunder, especially in cases of Jewish property. There’s no real explanation as to why the others buy in immediately: Bruno is the only one that seems to have his head on straight, asking about payment repeatedly, especially once the rest of the team realizes Lucille is on her old crusade again.
With all of its story problems, the actors have done their best with what they were given. The lack of asides that truly establish the characters really hurt my experience. I’d have loved to see a little less time on beautiful establishing cinematography and more on setting story and character stakes. But ultimately, like the payoff of the heist, this film was a letdown. A shame that it feels like they were gunning for a sequel.
Rorshach Rating:
Mental Health Moment: It’s important to keep your word, but holding so closely to something promised or sworn to someone that it puts not only yourself but also others in danger is a problem. Asking impossible things of others is dangerous. And certainly, being so dedicated to your vocation that you’ll make decisions that put friends in the line of fire is a swift way to find yourself without friends. Surround yourself with friends who pick you up and support you rather than asking the impossible of you. A supportive structure of friends is key when it comes to prioritizing your mental health and keeping healthy boundaries.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Righteous Thieves is property of Broken English Productions. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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