Watch Armored For Free

Too much of everything

Thanks for the memories!

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

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

Armored (2009): Dir: Nimrod Antal / Cast: Columbus Short, Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Lawrence Fishburne, Fred Ward: Standard action farce about bravery and recklessness. A crew of armored transport guards plan to rob millions from their own company but as predicted, everything that can go wrong, does including that witness that gets shot. Directed by Nimrod Antal who can shoot action but this film presents nothing really new or interesting. Even the production values showcase nothing new or interesting to resonate any excitement or care. Columbus Short is one of the few redeeming elements as a guard struggling to make ends meet, yet refuses to assist in the heist. Matt Dillon plays his long time friend and co- worker who sympathizes with Short's issues and promises that his fears will not happen. These two friends will be at odds as to the plan and will cat and mouse each other but the resolution is less than flattering. Jean Reno and Laurence Fishburne play fellow transport guards but they are totally cardboard. The rest of the characters are pretty much there to die at some point while trying to locate and kill Short. This film could have played out a theme regarding brotherhood and friendship but it seems poised only as an action violence flick at its very lowest. The result is standard action junk that should be crushed by an armored truck. Score: 3 / 10

There is a general feeling among the fans of 'heist films' that Armored is not a good film. This is an unfortunate reaction for a film which features some of the best actors in the business of cinema. There would hardly be a dedicated viewer who would accuse a film with Matt Dillon, Lawrence Fishburne and Jean Reno of being a 'bad film'. However, in many ways the fans' anger is justified as viewers who watch this film are likely to state that due to a weak script, Armored has failed to capture viewers' attention. It is rather sad especially its ending is not at all convincing. Armored has been directed by Antal Nimrod who chose to portray a moral tale set in an urban milieu in order to depict how greed can take hold of a human minds. One basic weakness which viewers find with Armored is that one cannot feel the tension in the film. It is true that there are some good moments in the film but overall tension is absent from the film. Most heist films are believed to have rock solid scripts with a provision for the description of foolproof plans. However, there are no such elements in Armored. This is one reason why Armored would end up being watched by viewers out of sheer curiosity of being a member of 'heist films'.

I don't normally post reviews, but after reading such negative reviews, I had to advocate for this film. I just got done watching it, and have to say it was different than what I was expecting--but in a good way. I found myself being initially furious with Hackett and interested on how it would play out. It was definitely suspenseful and had a lot of interesting twists that I was not expecting. It definitely is an unconventional heist film, but I definitely found myself concerned and rooting for the protagonist, Ty, as he tries to do the right thing. I would probably agree with those who did not like Ty, accusing him of being a traitor, had it not been for the fact that he did not become a traitor until AFTER Baines kills the hobo. It wasn't until HE violated the plan that Hackett was up to that point following, that Hackett wants out. The movie accurately conveyed that. It in the end was a great movie. I do, though, agree that there could have been better character development.

The idea (in an deserted industrial location, thieves working for a security company trying to force their way into an armored truck with a good guy inside) reminds me of a 1986 french Canadian thriller called "Pouvoir intime" (see reference below) :http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091785/This Quebec-made movie was co-written and directed by Emmy Award winner & nominee Yves Simoneau - Bury my heart at Wounded Knee (2007).Maybe the makers of "Armored" never heard of this movie, but I just thought it would be fair to mention that this idea has been explored before.