''American Thief'' is a 2020

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by Miguel Silveira. The film is about a teen

hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...

seeking revenge for his father's murder becomes a pawn in a plot to derail the 2016

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

. The film had its international premiere at the 2020

Oldenburg International Film Festival The Oldenburg International Film Festival has covered the international movie scene in all aspects since 1994. It is situated in Oldenburg, Germany. Its open-minded approach leads to a mixture of movie premieres and original independent production ...

Synopsis

Inspired by Haskell Wexler's seminal film Medium Cool, American Thief straddles fiction and documentary as its protagonists all become pawns in a plot to derail the 2016 presidential election. Filmed and scripted around true events between 2015 and 2019, American Thief is a fast-paced action/thriller that integrates

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

characters with real events, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty that seems all too familiar. Diop, a teenage hacker, wants to awaken society to the reality of overreaching government

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...

programs, while fellow-hacker Toncruz wants to use the

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

to avenge his father's murder. As Toncruz connects with internet criminals on the deep web, Paul, a disgruntled vlogger, rants about political conspiracy theories. Both Paul and Toncruz are contacted by an Unidentified User who claims he can provide what is needed to expose the truth. Meanwhile, Josephina, an

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

programmer, observes what unfolds as she attempts to contain the monster she's created. An intense tale of dystopian conspiracy that will keep you transfixed.

Cast

* Xisko Maximo Monroe – Toncruz * Khadim Diop – Diop Mason * Ben Becher – Paul Hunter * Josefina Scaro – Josephine Aronovich * Madeline McCray – Mrs. Mason * Julia Morrison – Meeks * Kai Monroe – Jimmorries * Fernando Frias de la Parra – Rogue Systems Specialist * Cacau Rosa – Claudia Jackson * Johnny Ma – Hacker / Whistleblower

Production

''American Thief'' was shot between 2015 and 2020 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. The film mixes documentary and

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

as it covers the events surrounding the election of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

in 2016. The film received the Jerome Foundation Production Grant.

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, american_thief, American Thief 2020 films 2020 action thriller films American action thriller films Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City 2020s English-language films 2020s American films