Highly Emotional Family bonding and Dramatics engage this Tear-Jerker with a good trio of lead Actors John Travolta, Tye Sheridan, and Christopher Plummer. Not a Heist-Film, per-se, as advertised, but a slice of Tragic Life with a Terminal Teenage cancer Victim the Centerpiece.
The Family involved here are Criminals and Druggies. The Teen Boy is confronted with mostly Certain Death and handles it well. Travolta is Sensitive trying to Comfort and Reconnect with his Son, the Heart of Film, and while not breaking any New Ground the Movie is at best with the Warm Involvement of the Characters.
The Heist angle is ridiculously Staged and is the Weakest part of the two part Story. If You can forgive the Contrivances in the Con, what is left is Human Drama handled with just enough Gravitas to hold the thing together and make it Worth a Watch.
It's a Story that has been Done Many Times but is Essential and Important for the plight of People whose Lives are filled with Suffering brought about by their own makings and the makings of a World and Universe filled with Pain and the way our Species must Deal and Cope.
The part of Life that Demands from all in this "House of Pain" the Courage and Determination to Overcome the Obstacles Roadblocking the Journey for all of Life's Participants.
The Family involved here are Criminals and Druggies. The Teen Boy is confronted with mostly Certain Death and handles it well. Travolta is Sensitive trying to Comfort and Reconnect with his Son, the Heart of Film, and while not breaking any New Ground the Movie is at best with the Warm Involvement of the Characters.
The Heist angle is ridiculously Staged and is the Weakest part of the two part Story. If You can forgive the Contrivances in the Con, what is left is Human Drama handled with just enough Gravitas to hold the thing together and make it Worth a Watch.
It's a Story that has been Done Many Times but is Essential and Important for the plight of People whose Lives are filled with Suffering brought about by their own makings and the makings of a World and Universe filled with Pain and the way our Species must Deal and Cope.
The part of Life that Demands from all in this "House of Pain" the Courage and Determination to Overcome the Obstacles Roadblocking the Journey for all of Life's Participants.