Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

johnnyboyz I think The Stickup is worth your time, overall, if not by an awful lot. I've seen a lot worse than The Stickup, films that have been so much worse and yet have garnered ten times the attention this little joint USA/Canada 2001 production attracted. The film very lightly tackles ideas to do with identity and whether we, as well as the other characters, believe certain individuals are capable of certain things. The film also adopts a neo-noir tone as the lone lead becomes increasingly involved with low-key crimes in a low-key location as he engages in relationships built on shaky trust with mysterious women and the boundaries around him to do with legal and illegal are blurred.The film isn't without its annoyances, but it's unfolded in such a manner that is both nice to look at and easy to just let oneself loose inside of that you begin to grin as the film unfolds more so than you do groan. The film opens with a car chase, a car chase that unashamedly throws in all the clichés and incidences you'd associate with a typical car chase. You've got your near miss with another oncoming car, you've got your incident in which one of the vehicles spins wildly out of control but gloriously has a patch of dirt or gravel to spin onto rather than a brick wall or fifty foot drop thus allowing the regaining of control and you've even got your little stunt at the very end which involves a car overturning. I was pleased it didn't blow up like usual - maybe they couldn't afford it.The man being pursued is John Parker (Spader) and his pursuers are law enforcement. This immediately draws us to conclusions it's only right for them to get their man because surely anyone running from the law must have done something wrong, right? Parker gets away and next we see him in a church, blood dripping from his hands and a big bag of money he's got with him as we assume he repents any sin he may have just committed. What begins in the audience's mind as a tale of regret and putting things right quickly turns into something a little more. The crime infused male fantasy is stepped up a notch when Parker comes into contact with Natalie Wright, played by Leslie Stefanson, who's a nurse in the local hospital.These two come together, initially, in a bar because of a certain song Parker puts on and she comes over. What that song was slips my mind and to a degree, that is a great shame, because here is a chance to reinvent a certain musical track much in the vein of what Tarantino does but also to use it as a reoccurring melody throughout these two person's journey. Once they get talking, Natalie speaks of her divorce and how unhappy she is, as you do to complete strangers from out of town you meet in dodgy bars, and they spend the night at her place somewhat eerily under the resentful eye of her ex-husband Ray DeCarlo (Keith). This guy doubles up as the local sheriff and is same individual that chased Parker in the first scene.What struck me as a little sloppy and silly was the fact she's suddenly helping Parker when he needs it, primarily through the fact he washed her dishes and cleaned up her apartment the following morning. But when she does find out there is a lot of stolen money in Parker's possession and hears about a bank robbery, she puts two and two together which is when the relationship is strained. It's at this point I assumed Natalie would go down the femme fatale route and attempt to take the money for herself but no, the film remains grounded in the small town in which they inhabit and it doesn't branch out to anything other than that. Rather than think that was a bit silly, I thought it was fine and if that's where you want to go then alright and I bought most of it even if, as a result of this non-double cross on Wright's behalf, the film plays out as more of a buddy routine between love allies than it does anything else.There is a degree of spectacle in the film, something that is quite impressive given the understated and direct of video feel this film has. It is bargain bin at you local store or catch it late night on some cable channel, all the time shaking your head in disbelief the film was made in 2001 and wondering where all the time has gone, material if we're all honest but it's perfectly fine. The film is polished and the sense of the spectacle is hammered home as it all unravels in an entertaining way as twists, turns and double crosses become apparent. The film ends in a daft shootout in the woods, meaning we've come all this way just for a guns blazing routine and the background jazz music for some scenes gets a bit annoying but on the whole, I feel it would take someone really cynical to dismiss this piece of work.

huh_oh_i_c Very big spoiler ahead I gave you fair warningOkay, so I totally agree with most everybody here, that the plot here is excellent. Yet, somehow, there are distinct clues that give away the fact that everything isn't what it seems. - The strange reaction from the LA-police chief. Why does he co-operate so fully with the FBI? This is not a plothole as such, since the FBI guy made a remark about this. In so many films, this exact same thing is lacking: A character does a weird, illogical thing (obivious to the viewer), but this is ignored completely by the other characters! This is SOOO annoying! If you have weirdness, the least you should do is not ignore it. In this case it couldn't really be helped, they could have made the LA-chief a bit more reluctant, so as not to give the FBI guy a clue - the other thing is, how did the FBI guy (very sympathetic performance, BTW)get the idea that Spader would be on the ATM camera? He just sits there looking at the traffic light and then the ATM and then curses him self. But where did he get the idea from that Spader (or anyone) would be on the ATM camera? Maybe I've missed something here, but this part might have been a little bit better explained.Aside from these relative minor points, GREAT movie!The guy complaining about lack of chemistry in the love bit, GET A LIFE! That is all in YOUR head! As to the rest of the negative comments, isn't it nice that it is so clear from what they've written, that they either lacked the brains to understand this plot (which was not too simple but not rocket science either) OR just plain didn't watch the movie at all. To make such trite remarks as "James Spader Verhicle/ watch only if you like him", puuh leeez! Boring!

RecklessRay I am a James Spader fan and I did n-joy this movie. The following may be plot spoilers but worth mentioning in a review. All the other comments are correct in being low budget, sound quality and soundtrack decision. However, I thought it was somewhat of a smart movie also. When guilty cop, with a gun, wants to check where the money is he has the innocent cop check and show him. He could have checked himself and it could have been a typical distraction/fight scene. Instead, guilty cop tells other to check while holding him at gunpoint. Another was the smart discovery by the young FBI agent with the ATM camera. Good thinking, and not something I thought to check. Sure, the point about the woman being a nurse AND ex-wife of the town sheriff was a perfect movie plot, however, I thought all was handled on a smart level. Plus the subplot with other FBI agents added life to this movie. Rating: 7 out of 10.

McGowan_M Although the idea behind this movie is not particularly original, it still has merit - it's a tried and trusted formula which can work well if done correctly.Unfortunately, it doesn't really succeed this time around. The cast tries hard and they all give creditable performances. The directing is competent enough with the action moving up or down in pace at a reasonable level that doesn't throw the storyline around in an unbelievable fashion. The flashbacks are handled well, bringing everything together in a tidy, coherent fashion.But ultimately, the movie fails to really hold the viewer's interest and it makes the cardinal sin in a movie of this type; it fails to produce characters with whom we, the viewers, can identify. Each of the characters is just a little too perfect.However, it's worth watching the first 15 minutes simply for the joke about the Irish guys ;-)