Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

ladybug2535 This is a quiet film, a relationship drama with a low-key crime caper helping to propel the plot. It's a movie fundamentally reflecting on both family relationships and criminal relationships.I won't bother to rehash the plot but will say that this movie is greatly under-rated; the acting and cinematography are excellent. The story is decent enough, dialogue is believable and the plot moves steadily onward, although as others have pointed out, there are no car chase scenes or the usual action fodder if that's what you are expecting. This is NOT an action film, though there are suspenseful moments--and it is understandable if that is what you thought you were getting. At it's heart the story is all about family ties, expectations, honor and survival, life changing choices...and impending family tragedy. Motives are logical and clearly understandable while the film manages to avoid maudlin sentiment or cheap thrills. while the plot moves steadily forward--even the twists work without being overly complicated. This one is not going to play tricks on you or over-work your brain, it's just good story-telling.Overall a very good film, and one that is well-worth watching if you accept it as a heightened family drama and not an action/thriller or even (really) a suspense film. Travolta and most of the cast were at their best without being too subtle or over-wrought. The 3 main characters were the best and easily carried the film. Very much recommended.

LeonLouisRicci Highly Emotional Family bonding and Dramatics engage this Tear-Jerker with a good trio of lead Actors John Travolta, Tye Sheridan, and Christopher Plummer. Not a Heist-Film, per-se, as advertised, but a slice of Tragic Life with a Terminal Teenage cancer Victim the Centerpiece.The Family involved here are Criminals and Druggies. The Teen Boy is confronted with mostly Certain Death and handles it well. Travolta is Sensitive trying to Comfort and Reconnect with his Son, the Heart of Film, and while not breaking any New Ground the Movie is at best with the Warm Involvement of the Characters.The Heist angle is ridiculously Staged and is the Weakest part of the two part Story. If You can forgive the Contrivances in the Con, what is left is Human Drama handled with just enough Gravitas to hold the thing together and make it Worth a Watch.It's a Story that has been Done Many Times but is Essential and Important for the plight of People whose Lives are filled with Suffering brought about by their own makings and the makings of a World and Universe filled with Pain and the way our Species must Deal and Cope.The part of Life that Demands from all in this "House of Pain" the Courage and Determination to Overcome the Obstacles Roadblocking the Journey for all of Life's Participants.

Bob Rutzel Expert Art Forger Ray Cutter (John Travolta) gets out of prison early to spend more time with teenage son Will (Tye Sheridan), who has cancer. There is a price to pay for the early out. He must copy a Monet painting to replace the original at the museum and if not done on time, then bad guy Keegan (Anson Mount) will have Ray sent back to prison. We hope Ray finds his brushes in time. Most of the movie has Ray trying to bond with Will and this is nicely done. To help with the bonding Ray gives Will 3-wishes and true to a 15-yr old's thinking he uses them and surprises Ray with one of them. Later Ray gets his father Joe (Christopher Plummer) and Will to help with the museum break-in. Nothing says bonding all around like a family crime caper. The movie works because of the good chemistry among the three of them. Everything is low key and sensitive as we would expect. There are a few heartwarming moments and you may keep a box of Kleenex handy….just in case. FBI Agent Paisley (Abigail Spencer) is trying to get Keegan, but when Ray enters the picture, she doesn't know how Ray is involved and what he is up to. We keep hoping she doesn't upset Ray's plans.Yes, glad you asked, there is a twist near the end and it's kind of complicated, but you will get the gist of it. The details aren't important. Over all a good story and, perhaps, one of John Travolta's best performances. Oscar worthy? Hmmm…...maybe. (7/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

albrechtcm What might have been an okay movie turned out to be ridiculous from the very start…and didn't stop there. John Travolta, having a terribly bad hair day, is in prison. We have no idea why. He wants out. His lawyer says his appeal has been denied, and advises him to stick out his remaining 10 months. Ten months isn't so long. We have no idea why he simply has to get out, but he does. He gets a mobster to bribe a judge to get him an early release. Of course the mobster expects to be repaid. Turns out, to our utter surprise, Mr. Travolta is a expert art forger, perhaps one of the very best. And by an incredible coincidence, the mobster wants him to make a copy of a Monet that is on display in a local museum so they can make a switch. He has a filthy-rich client who wants the Monet for his private collection. Of course, they could simply steal the painting. It would create an uproar, but who cares? However, they want Mr. Travolta to create a fake. Okay, maybe that buys them some time, but he could paint a reasonable facsimile that would pass casual inspection long enough for the theft to be history, but no, he has to find a canvas of the same size and same age, and clean it off and then create oils in exactly the way Monet would have done, and in the end, create a masterpiece that is indistinguishable from the original. Why bother? I briefly thought maybe, in a plot twist, he would sell the fake to the buyer who would never be the wiser, but no. In any event, as Mr. Travolta points out, there's no way he can do all this in two weeks. But, it's life and death. So although he has to do this impossible task in a couple of weeks, he appears to have plenty of time to fool around before he even gets started. Then, somewhere in there, we can assume the reason he wanted out early is because his son has terminal cancer. By then, we're past believing anything that's going on, and overall, the storyline is so plodding and lacking in interest that we've pretty much lost interest. At the very end, the rich buyer, rather than pay half a million dollars to the mobster, has him killed and gratefully hands the half million over to an "art appraiser" whose expertise is based upon presentation of a business card. With the half million in hand, everybody goes to Tahiti where most of them live ever after, save for the poor boy with cancer who we are given to understand is going fast. This could have been a pretty good story without the enormous plot holes and confused directing.