“One last job” takes on new meaning in the heist film, “King of Thieves,” populated by septuagenarians, octogenarians, and a sprightly 61-year-old Ray Winstone. (Seriously, the man – or his stunt double – does a handstand.) Led by Michael Caine, the crew features more of Britain’s finest aging actors, providing a masculine alternative to every Anglophile’s dream movie, “Tea with the Dames.” His co-stars include Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, and Tom Courtenay, with “Daredevil” star Charlie Cox bringing down the arithmetic mean. Combined, these men have an astounding number of BAFTA wins and nominations (as well as a few Oscars), but having all that talent on screen isn’t enough to salvage an uneven film.
Based on a true story, “King of Thieves” starts off strong, with a fizzy jazz score and energetic editing reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh‘s ‘Ocean’s‘ franchise. Brian (Caine) has sworn off crime out of devotion to his law-abiding wife (Francesca Annis), but he can’t resist when Basil (Cox) tells him he has access to a key to London’s Hatton Garden bank vault. “Things like this give me purpose,” Brian explains in a rare moment of dialogue lacking punchy vulgarity, and he assembles his crew: Danny (Winstone), Terry (Broadbent), Kenny (Courtenay) and Carl (Paul Whitehouse). They plot to steal the cash, jewels, and other treasures stashed in the safe deposit boxes, but the job isn’t the climax. While most heist films leave the burglary to the end, “King of Thieves” speeds through the prep and positions the heist squarely in its center, leaving the back half of the film to deal with the aftermath of the crime and the greed that tears the team apart.
With that, “King of Thieves” goes from being a chipper caper to a dour drama with a quickness that a burglar would envy. Unrest begins to divide the group, and things turn nasty fast. After the turn, the upbeat score from Benjamin Wallfisch and the retro soundtrack are at odds with the downbeat discord of the action. It’s unclear where our sympathies lie and where they’re meant to. It’s not with the law, with those characters given little attention and simply credited as “Detective” and “Police Officer.” Caine’s Brian is the center of the group – and the film – but even he doesn’t really deserve our alliance according to the screenplay by Joe Penhall. Instead, the movie just coasts on our affection for the beloved actor, as well as the rest of the familiar faces surrounding him.
“King of Thieves” may steal from its predecessors in the genre, but director James Marsh‘s film isn’t trying to be original. Just as the crew of criminals spends their spare time reminiscing about the past, the film gives more than a subtle nod to it as well. Its unexpectedly cheerful final moments insert vintage footage of these actors from earlier in their career; of course, we get a shot of Caine in “The Italian Job.” But beyond the nostalgic streak, it’s the tweaks on the formula that make it interesting at times, particularly in centering a crime film on a group of geezers where their concerns aren’t just around getting caught, but there are worries about diabetes, joint pain, and hearing aids.
Where “King of Thieves” fails its heralded cast is in its shifts in tone. We’ve been promised a fun ride with Caine in the driver’s seat, but the trip goes downhill too quickly. I’d normally admire its boldness in challenging audience expectations, but the final scene takes the easy way out and brings back the chummy glee of the film’s first half, which feels false at this point in their journey. [C]
