Honest Thief - Blu-ray Review

Michael Scott

Moderator / Reviewer
Staff member
Thread Starter
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Messages
5,258
Location
Arizona
More  
Preamp, Processor or Receiver
Yamaha TRS-7850 Atmos Receiver
Other Amp
Peavy IPR 3000 for subs
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Panasonic UB820 4K UHD Player
Front Speakers
Cheap Thrills Mains
Center Channel Speaker
Cheap Thrills Center
Surround Speakers
Volt 10 Surrounds
Surround Back Speakers
Volt 10 Rear Surrounds
Rear Height Speakers
Volt 6 Overheads
Subwoofers
2x Marty subs (full size with SI 18's)
Video Display Device
Sony 85 inch X950H FALD TV
Honest Thief


38145
Movie: :3stars:
Video: :4.5stars:
Audio: :4.5stars:
Extras:
Final Score: :3.5stars:



38146
Movie

Liam Neeson has had a wide and varied 42 year long career. He’s gone from bit part character in 80s action movies, to cult comic book hero, to massive box office draw playing in some of the biggest blockbusters of the 90s and early 2000s, culminating with him having a special set of skills….3 times. However, as with all action stars, things come to a close in the blockbuster department. When you get to a certain age the massive leading roles dry up and you have a few choices in front of you. Play the “old man” bit parts in the downward angle of your career bell curve, retire, or go to making low budget action movies. The craggy faced ex boxer chose the final option, but he didn’t go down like Steven Seagal, Cuba Gooding Jr., or John Cusack. Instead he’s made a litany of low budget thrillers that aren’t super blockbuster level, but nowhere near cheap DTV level either. His craggy face, rasping voice, and hulking frame has kept him employed with a steady line of mid tier movies that still making good use of his frame and popularity to feed the audiences a goodly supply of action movies that all feel the same. Liam Neeson is an ex bad guy, or ex commando who wants to do the right thing, but gets caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Liam is Tom Dolan, an ex bank robber known as the “in-n-out bandit” who robbed 12 banks before finally settling down with woman by the name of Annie (Kate Walsh). Forgoing his decade of crime isn’t enough for Tom, as he wants to come clean to Annie and make a fresh start. This entails him turning himself into the FBI in exchange for a reduced sentence so the slate can be wiped clean without him spending the rest of his life in jail. However, his plan starts to go awry when the special agent in charge (Robert Patrick) isn’t exactly very helpful in turning himself in. You see, a dozen or so people have already claimed that they were the bandit, and it just sounds like another old man trying to get his 15 minutes of fame to the officer.

38147
Sending over a couple of low level agents named Niven (Jai Courtney) and Hall (Anthony Ramos) he attempts to prove it by showing the agents the cash, but human greed kicks in. Niven ropes Hall into stealing the money, only for the plan to go south in a hurry. After murdering his boss, Niven and his reluctant set off a chain reaction that flicks on the rage switch for good old Tom, who is now dealing with a shot up girlfriend, a dead agent who was his only chance at redemption, and a couple of corrupt FBI agents who have his money. Now it’s do or die, and Tom isn’t about to go quietly into the night, but instead goes head on with the agents, ready to prove himself innocent and show the rest of the world just what happened to him.

Honest Thief isn’t a bad film, but it isn’t a great film either. Like the last several years worth of Liam Neeson movies, it hovers in the middle as a generic action film with Neeson rasping into the phone ala Taken, and shooting up bad guys with herky jerky action choreography to hide his stiff and aging body movements. Really, Honest Thief is pretty good. It entertains for the whole 100 minutes, and while it isn’t SUPER engaging, works perfectly fine as a solid action movie for the weekend.

Neeson is finally starting to show his age, but he still plays to his strengths, putting forth a decent effort as a tired old bank robber who doesn’t want to hurt anyone if he doesn’t have to. Patrick pretty much phones in his performance, but Jeffrey Donovan is surprisingly likable as what can only be described as if Michael Weston took a desk job. Again, it’s nothing special, but the movie keeps a brisk pace with solid action, plenty of Liam Neeson rasping into a phone about how he’s gonna get the bad guy, and Kate Walsh is easy on the eyes (I did appreciate that they got someone close to his age for the love interest, instead of the 60+ year old action star getting the 25 year old girl like you see in all the DTV films).




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for strong violence, crude references and brief strong language



Video: :4.5stars:
38148
Shot digitally with Arri Alexa cameras, Honest Thief is a great looking picture. Heavily bathed in teal, it has a slightly stylistic look to it (seriously, outside of a few outdoor shots, the entire picture looks like it was coated in that teal shade that has become so popular the last two decades), but is still razor sharp and clear. Fine details are superb, showing every crease and line of Neeson’s face, as well as intimate clothing details such as his denim jacket, or the black suit coats of the FBI. There’s a few very mild soft shots in the storage unit due to the dim lighting, but banding and noise are nearly nonexistent. It’s a very sharp and clean image for sure, and while it may not be a mega blockbuster, the picture remains top tier.






Audio: :4.5stars:
38149
Just like the video, even though not a mega blockbuster, Honest Thief delivers a stellar audio mix in 7.1 DTS-HD MA. The track’s booming score ripples throughout the mix with ferocity and power, hitting us with deep bass hits that really rattle the rafters. Voices and dialog are above reproach, always being intelligible with crystal clear clarity. Surrounds get a hefty workout as well with the hustle and bustle of the city, or the screeching sounds of a high speed car chase (and a subsequent crash that really shakes the walls). The confrontation between Hall and Dolan is extremely intense, with one of the best bass hits of the entire movie as Dolan clobbers him with the bat. It’s an all around great mix that proves that you don’t need a lot of money to make a movie sound good.





Extras:
38150














Final Score: :3.5stars:


Honest Thief is not a great movie, but it’s entertaining and rather fun, especially if you’re a fan of Liam Neeson’s last decade of popcorn movies. I wouldn’t go looking for it at full price right out of the gate, but as a cheap purchase or a rental it’s more than serviceable. Universal delivers another stellar audio and video set, but the film’s lack of extras is a bit disappointing (although it’s not a very deep film, and it’s not like the extras would have been super interesting anyways). Solid watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Robert Patrick, Anthony Ramos
Directed by: Mark Williams
Written by: Mark Williams, Steve Allrich
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, English DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 100 minutes
Blu-Ray Release December 29th, 2020
38151





Recommendation: Decent Watch

 

Sonnie

Senior Admin
Staff member
Joined
Apr 2, 2017
Messages
5,055
Location
Alabama
More  
Preamp, Processor or Receiver
StormAudio ISP Elite 24 MK3 Processor
Main Amp
McIntosh MC1.25KW Monoblock Amps
Additional Amp
StormAudio PA 16 MK3
Computer Audio
Intel NUC w/ Roon ROCK
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Panasonic UB9000 4K UHD Player (for media discs)
Front Speakers
RTJ 410
Center Channel Speaker
MartinLogan Focus C-18
Front Wide Speakers
JTR Neosis 110HT
Surround Speakers
JTR Neosis 210RT
Surround Back Speakers
JTR Neosis 210RT
Front Height Speakers
JTR Neosis 110HT-SL
Rear Height Speakers
JTR Neosis 110HT-SL
Subwoofers
JTR Captivator 2400 x6
Other Speakers or Equipment
VTI Amp Stands for the Monoblocks
Video Display Device
Sony 98X90L
Remote Control
Universal MX-890
Streaming Equipment
FireCube for movies and Lenova Carbon X1 for Roon
Streaming Subscriptions
Lifetime Roon Subscription
Tidal
qobuz
Netflix
Amazon Prime
Satellite System
Dish Joey 4K
Other Equipment
Zero Surge 8R15W-1 | Salamander Synergy Equipment Stand
Looks like classic Liam from the Taken series for sure. I'll have to give it a watch at some point.
 

Epoxy1

Active Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
165
Location
Vacaville, CA
More  
Preamp, Processor or Receiver
Anthem AVM60
Main Amp
ATI NCore AT527NC
Additional Amp
ATI NCore AT624NC
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Panasonic DP-UB420
Front Speakers
M&K S150
Center Channel Speaker
M&K S150
Surround Speakers
M&K SS150
Surround Back Speakers
M&K SS150
Front Height Speakers
Atlantic Technology OBA-6
Rear Height Speakers
Atlantic Technology OBA-6
Subwoofers
SVS PC-Ultra, SVS SB3000, JBL d110 x2, HSU 15H-MK2
Other Speakers or Equipment
MiniDSP controlling all of the subwoofers
Video Display Device
JVC RS2000
Screen
110" Stewart Firehawk G5 2.35:1
Remote Control
URC MX-980
Streaming Subscriptions
Roku Ultra, TiVo Edge
Michael,

I have pretty much the same thoughts. The screenplay is middling but Neeson does his best to keep it entertaining. My biggest gripe are the two FBI agents, which are more like Keystone Cops with their poor decisions, but without them the movie would have been over in about 15 minutes :)
 

Michael Scott

Moderator / Reviewer
Staff member
Thread Starter
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Messages
5,258
Location
Arizona
More  
Preamp, Processor or Receiver
Yamaha TRS-7850 Atmos Receiver
Other Amp
Peavy IPR 3000 for subs
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Panasonic UB820 4K UHD Player
Front Speakers
Cheap Thrills Mains
Center Channel Speaker
Cheap Thrills Center
Surround Speakers
Volt 10 Surrounds
Surround Back Speakers
Volt 10 Rear Surrounds
Rear Height Speakers
Volt 6 Overheads
Subwoofers
2x Marty subs (full size with SI 18's)
Video Display Device
Sony 85 inch X950H FALD TV
Michael,

I have pretty much the same thoughts. The screenplay is middling but Neeson does his best to keep it entertaining. My biggest gripe are the two FBI agents, which are more like Keystone Cops with their poor decisions, but without them the movie would have been over in about 15 minutes :)

lol, yup. Their decisions were HORRIBLE. I laughed so hard when they basically did things that even a rookie would nail them on, then think they would get away with it.
 

Grayson Dere

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 19, 2018
Messages
616
Location
Bay Area, CA
More  
Preamp, Processor or Receiver
Integra DTR 7.8
Main Amp
Class D Audio: SDS-470CS
Additional Amp
Shellbrook Audio Hybrid Head headphone amp
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Sony UBP-X700
Front Speakers
Vandersteen Model 2
Subwoofers
SVS PB-2000
Other Speakers or Equipment
Grado SR 325is headphones
Video Display Device
JVC DLA-X75
Screen
Elite Screen 120"
Streaming Subscriptions
Origin Live Aurora MKIII turntable
This film was fun! Just watched it last night : )
 
Top Bottom