Thick as Thieves (2009 film)

Last updated
Thick as Thieves
Thickasthievesposter.jpg
DVD cover
Directed by Mimi Leder
Written by Ted Humphrey
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Julio Macat
Edited byMartin Nicholson
Music by Atli Örvarsson
Production
companies
Distributed by First Look International
Release date
  • April 17, 2009 (2009-04-17)
Running time
104 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Germany
LanguageEnglish [1]
Budget$25 million

Thick as Thieves (also known as The Code) is a 2009 American/German heist action thriller film directed by Mimi Leder, starring Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, and Radha Mitchell. [2] The film was released direct-to-DVD on April 17, 2009 in the United States and on October 18, 2010 in Germany.

Contents

Plot

In New York, veteran thief Keith Ripley recruits younger crook Gabriel Martin to help him pull off one final job in order to repay his debt to the Russian mafia, who had killed his previous partner, Victor Korolenko, before they could complete the plan. Martin is unsure of Ripley, but Ripley's goddaughter, Alexandra Korolenko, who is Victor's daughter, convinces him otherwise, although Ripley does not like that the two are getting close. Ripley tells Martin the plan, that they are going to steal from a Russian museum that has been smuggling Russian treasures into the country and bribing the NYPD with large donations and expensive equipment. The two infiltrate a party at the museum posing as cops, with Ripley as Lt. Weber, who has a vendetta against Ripley, to gather information about their vault.

The Russian mob, led by Nicky Petrovitch, grow impatient and kidnap Alexandra, telling Ripley he must steal two Fabergé eggs from the Russian Museum in order to get her back. When the duo get into the vaults of the museum with the eggs, Martin reveals he is an undercover cop from Miami planted by Weber to catch Ripley, leaves Ripley locked in the vault and informs Weber, while taking the eggs to the Russian mobster to free Alexandra. After Alexandra is released, Martin is forced to meet with Petrovitch, who reveals that the eggs they have stolen are made of wood. Meanwhile, Weber and his squad enter the museum, but are detained by the security guards due to Martin telling the guards he was a cop as he escaped.

Martin reports in to the police the next morning, after the police have picked up Petrovitch, only to learn that the man they have in custody is not the man Martin met, and that the man he met was actually Victor Korolenko, who had faked his death with Ripley's help. It is then revealed that Ripley had escaped, letting the museum know cops were on the way and that they had cleaned out the vault of all the smuggled items (which had included the eggs) before the police could inspect it, meaning there was no evidence that anything had been stolen and that Martin's testimony would be worthless as his actions have been kept off the book to prevent Ripley from finding out. Martin's involvement with Alex compromises him, and Ripley had to be let go.

Ripley later calls Martin from an airport tarmac, ready to leave with Victor to meet with a buyer for the eggs; to tell him that they knew Martin was a cop from the beginning. Martin later meets up with Alex, who remained in New York, and who confesses that her feelings for him are real. Martin decides to become a thief.

Cast

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 20% based on reviews from 5 critics. [3]

David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews gave the film 2.5/4 and called it "...a hopelessly uneven endeavor that's consistently buoyed by Freeman's mere presence...". [4]

Dragan Antulov of Draxblog Movie Reviews gave it 3/10 and wrote: "The sadness created by this film could be cured only by its quick descent in well-deserved oblivion." [5] Jason McKiernan at Filmcritic.com called it "sloppy, lazy, and unable to keep up with its own con." [6] David Cornelius at DVDTalk.com wrote: "Don't let the big names fool you: The Code is limp enough a thriller to deserve the direct-to-video treatment it's received." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Freeman</span> American actor and producer (born 1937)

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, producer, and narrator. Throughout a career spanning five decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award. He was honored with the Kennedy Center Honor in 2008, an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2011, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2012, and Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2018. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time.

<i>The American Friend</i> 1977 West Germany film

The American Friend is a 1977 neo-noir film written and directed by Wim Wenders, adapted from the 1974 novel Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith. It stars Dennis Hopper as career-criminal Tom Ripley and Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Zimmermann, a terminally ill picture framer whom Ripley coaxes into becoming an assassin. The film uses an unusual "natural" language concept: Zimmermann speaks German with his family and his doctor, but English with Ripley and while visiting Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabergé egg</span> Valuable jewelled egg from Russia

A Fabergé egg is a jewelled egg created by the jewellery firm House of Fabergé, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As many as 69 were created, of which 57 survive today. Virtually all were manufactured under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé between 1885 and 1917. The most famous are his 52 "Imperial" eggs, 46 of which survive. These eggs were made for the Russian emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for Alexander's wife and Nicholas's mother Empress Maria Feodorovna, and Nicholas's wife Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna. Fabergé eggs are worth millions of dollars and have become symbols of opulence.

<i>The Return of Jafar</i> 1994 American film

The Return of Jafar is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Television. It is the first sequel to Disney's 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin, made by combining the planned first five episodes of the Aladdin animated television series into a feature-length film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotten Tomatoes</span> American review aggregator for film and television

Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang. Although the name "Rotten Tomatoes" connects to the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes in disapproval of a poor stage performance, the direct inspiration for the name from Duong, Lee, and Wang came from an equivalent scene in the 1992 Canadian film Léolo.

<i>Onegin</i> (1999 film) 1999 film

Onegin is a 1999 British-American romantic drama film based on Alexander Pushkin's 1833 novel in verse Eugene Onegin, co-produced by British and American companies and shot mostly in the United Kingdom. Onegin is Martha Fiennes' directorial debut and stars her brother Ralph Fiennes in the role of Yevgeny (Eugene) Onegin, Liv Tyler as Tatiana and Toby Stephens as Lensky. Two other Fiennes siblings were involved in the project: Magnus Fiennes wrote the music and Sophie Fiennes appeared in a minor role.

<i>American Girl</i> (2002 film) 2002 American film

American Girl is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Jordan Brady and starring Jena Malone, who also serves as a co-producer. Co-starring are Brad Renfro, Chris Mulkey, Michelle Forbes, Alicia Witt, and Clifton Collins, Jr. The film follows a pregnant, naive teenager who convinces her family to visit their father in prison at its annual family picnic, only for him to not be what she had idealized.

<i>City on Fire</i> (1987 film) 1987 Hong Kong film by Ringo Lam

City on Fire is a 1987 Hong Kong crime film directed by Ringo Lam, who also produced with Karl Maka. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee, and Sun Yueh. Following A Better Tomorrow (1986), it helped establish Chow's popularity as an action star in Asia and to a lesser degree, North America.

<i>National Security</i> (2003 film) 2003 film by Dennis Dugan

National Security is a 2003 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, and starring Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn. The supporting cast includes Bill Duke, Eric Roberts, Colm Feore, and Matt McCoy. It was shot at various locations in Greater Los Angeles, including Long Beach and Santa Clarita.

<i>Dreamcatcher</i> (2003 film) 2003 film by Lawrence Kasdan

Dreamcatcher is a 2003 American science fiction horror film based on Stephen King's 2001 novel of the same name. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan and co-written by Kasdan and screenwriter William Goldman, the film stars Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis and Timothy Olyphant as four friends who encounter an invasion of parasitic aliens. It also features Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore and Donnie Wahlberg.

<i>Kronks New Groove</i> 2005 animated film

Kronk's New Groove is a 2005 American direct-to-video animated musical comedy film animated by Toon City Animation and released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on December 13, 2005.

<i>American Gun</i> (2002 film) 2002 film

American Gun is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Alan Jacobs. It stars James Coburn, Virginia Madsen, Barbara Bain and Alexandra Holden.

<i>WarGames: The Dead Code</i> 2008 American direct-to-video thriller film by Stuart Gillard

WarGames: The Dead Code is a 2008 American direct-to-video thriller film written by Randall Badat and Rob Kerchner and directed by Stuart Gillard. It is the sequel to the 1983 film WarGames. Production began on November 20, 2006, in Montreal, and the film was released on DVD on July 29, 2008, by MGM's home video distributor 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. According to MGM's original press release, the film is budgeted as one in a series of direct-to-DVD sequels.

<i>Breaking and Entering</i> (film) 2006 film by Anthony Minghella

Breaking and Entering is a 2006 romantic crime drama film written and directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, and Robin Wright. It was his first original screenplay since his 1990 feature debut Truly, Madly, Deeply and his final feature film before his death in 2008. Set in a blighted, inner-city neighbourhood of London, the film is about a successful landscape architect whose dealings with a young thief and his mother cause him to re-evaluate his life.

<i>Wishmaster: The Prophecy Fulfilled</i> 2002 film

Wishmaster: The Prophecy Fulfilled is a 2002 Canadian dark fantasy horror film directed by Chris Angel and starring Michael Trucco, Tara Spencer-Nairn, Jason Thompson, Victor Webster, Kimberly Huie, and John Novak. It is the fourth and final installment of the Wishmaster series.

<i>Downtown</i> (film) 1990 American police action comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin

Downtown is a 1990 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin. The film starred Anthony Edwards, Forest Whitaker, Penelope Ann Miller and Joe Pantoliano.

<i>On the Doll</i> 2008 American film

On The Doll is a 2008 American drama feature film directed and written by director Thomas Mignone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Freeman on screen and stage</span>

American actor and producer Morgan Freeman has had a prolific career on film, television and on the stage. His film debut was as an uncredited character in the Sidney Lumet–directed drama The Pawnbroker in 1964. Freeman also made his stage debut in the same year by appearing in the musical Hello, Dolly! He followed this with further stage appearances in The Niggerlovers (1967), The Dozens (1969), Exhibition (1969), and the musical Purlie (1970–1971). He played various characters on the children's television series The Electric Company (1971–1977). Freeman subsequently appeared in the films Teachers in 1984, and Marie in 1985 before making his breakthrough with 1987's Street Smart. His role earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later he appeared in war film Glory (1989), and starred as Hoke Coleburn in the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Freeman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in the latter and also earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

<i>Ode to Joy</i> (film) 2019 American film

Ode to Joy is a 2019 American romantic comedy film starring Martin Freeman and Morena Baccarin. The film premiered at the 2019 RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and was released theatrically on August 9, 2019.

<i>Panama</i> (2022 film) 2022 action thriller film by Mark Neveldine

Panama is a 2022 action thriller film directed by Mark Neveldine and starring Cole Hauser and Mel Gibson.

References

  1. ↑ "THICK AS THIEVES". British Board of Film Classification . Archived from the original on 2020-01-25. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  2. ↑ McNary, Dave (2007-10-07). "Radha Mitchell set for 'Code'". Variety .
  3. ↑ "Thick as Thieves (The Code) (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  4. ↑ "The Films of Mimi Leder - Reviews by David Nusair". reelfilm.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  5. ↑ Dragan Antulov (2 November 2009). "Thick as Thieves (2009)". Draxblog Film Reviews. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "The Code Movie Review, DVD Release - Filmcritic.com". www.filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  7. ↑ David Cornelius. "The Code". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.