Lying and Stealing

Lying And Stealing might not be the best heist movie ever but it doesn't pretend to be the best heist movie so it's okay. The heists are quite simple, nothing sofisticated at all, most of the time they just walk out with the art, but it's entertaining and that was enough for me. It could have used more suspense to make it a really good movie, you never have that feeling with any of the heists and that's a bit of a letdown. The acting wasn't bad, the cinematography was good, so all in all it's worth a watch, just don't expect a gem.

Ivan Warding (Theo James) is working off his father's debt to the Greek Dimitri (Fred Melamed) by stealing art works from wealthy art patrons. He teams up with Elyse (Emily Ratajkowski) to help him get out from under the Greek, but an FBI Agent (Isiah Whitlock Jr) appears to be locking in on Ivan. Oh, oh. Most of the movie is watching Ivan steal and get away with it. This is not a comedy but we do hear some good lines all around. We do watch a good conversation/interview between the FBI Agent (character name not given in the credits) and Ivan in a diner. The FBI Agent knows what Ivan is doing and wants Ivan's boss. We see good chemistry between Theo James and Emily Ratajkowski and she is pretty and can act too. However, there are 3-scenes that didn't make any sense to me: (1) The FBI Agent urinates in his partner's desk drawer. Why? (2) Dimitri apparently sends someone to Ivan's apartment to find the Hitler painting which he didn't find, and makes off with a safe. Do we see what was in the safe? No. Why? (3) We see Ivan doing something with a glass of water, we think it was water. What was all that about? Never explained. Apparently many scenes were cut, but the story needed something more than just watching Ivan steal things and hear some good banter. Notable: Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ray, Ivan's bipolar brother. Even with the questions above, this was still entertaining and was okay to say the least. (5/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes. Nudity; Yes, brief. Humor: Some good lines are heard. Language: No. Rating: C

All the characters - except for the little girl - including the FBI agent, have no redeeming qualities. But that's the world this film is exploring: thieves and those who hang around them - including killers and "law" chasing them. The main actors worked well together, and the plot they were exploring was reasonably interesting. Worth a watch.

Ivan (Theo James) owes "The Greek" (Fred Melamed) money, a debt created by his father. He steals artwork to pay off the debt. He also has a bipolar brother (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) living with him. Along the way he meets Elyse (Emily Ratajkowski) another scam artist who wants a piece of the action. This is another heist/flim-flam film that was made enjoyable by the individual scenes. The overall plot was repetitious and flat. The characters were thrust at us and the background came later. The character building could have been better. It did have many good scenes. Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (uncredited)

I make it short, so I won't waste anyone's time. HOW THE F... IS THIS BI... AN ACTRESS? I mean I do get it how, but why?? Just cause she is a model and god knows what else she has been doing? The acting is embarrassing and she makes every one around her even worse. Now we know what a BJ can get u. Embarrassing. My rating is : F... Off.

This certainly isn't a film that everyone will be raving about, but hey, filmmakers have to start somewhere right? Considering that point, this film was no too bad to say the least. This is newb filmmaker Matt Aselton's second writing credit, and third directing credit. Yes there were some flaws in the writing - plot issues and pacing, but the directing (camera work) was actually on point - aside from the few slo-mo scenes, and his inexperience in directing his cast was evident. Otherwise, mad respect for Matt Aselton's final result. Theo James and Emily Ratajkowski worked well together, and their characters where somewhat convincing, but again, that (somewhat ) was from the lack of experience from the director. Fred Melamed was also decent in his slimy/creepy boss-man role as Dimitri. I also feel the film could've been edited a little better, and perhaps down from the 100 min length, to about 85-90 mins, with faster pacing. Nevertheless, for a low budget B-grade film from a newbie filmmaker, I still enjoyed it and was quite impressed with Aselton's third ever film. It certainly is undeserving of the current low rating... people need to learn how to rate a film based on its merits, and not compare it to big budget Hollywood films with A-list cast and filmmakers. So it's a well deserving 7.5 rounded up to an 8/10 from me. Mad props for the producers to not fill IMDb with fake reviews, as most new low budget films have. And if anyone is questioning my review as being fake, click on my username to see my 600+ reviews and 1000+ ratings - and read my profile on how to properly rate a film.