''Heist'' (also called ''Bus 657''), is a 2015 American
heist action thriller
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...
film directed by
Scott Mann and written by
Stephen Cyrus Sepher and Max Adams, based on the original story by Sepher. The film stars
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
,
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor of television and film, best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022), for which he has received critical acclaim. He ...
,
Kate Bosworth
Catherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she rose to prominence with her role as a young surfer in the box-offi ...
,
Morris Chestnut
Morris Lamont Chestnut (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Ricky in the 1991 film ''Boyz n the Hood''. He has appeared in feature films and on television series, including the starring role of ...
,
Dave Bautista
David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He had several stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Destro ...
, Sepher, and
Gina Carano
Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982) is an American actress and former mixed martial artist. She competed in EliteXC and Strikeforce from 2006 to 2009, where she compiled a 7–1 record. Her popularity led to her being called the "face of women ...
. The plot of the film revolves around a casino
heist by an employee who needs to pay for his sick daughter's treatment.
The film was released on November 13, 2015, by
Lionsgate Premiere
Lionsgate Premiere is the speciality film division of entertainment company Lionsgate Films that specializes in direct-to-video and direct-to-video on demand.
Background
On April 1, 2015, Lionsgate confirmed they had launched
speciality division ...
.
Plot
Luke Vaughn is working in a Southern casino ("The Swan") run by Francis "The Pope" Silva. Vaughn has a sick daughter, and needs $300,000 for a necessary surgery. He approaches "Pope" who refuses his plea for a loan; when Vaughn is insistent, Pope fires him and has him beaten by his right-hand man, Derrick "Dog" Prince.
Security guard Cox tells Vaughn the casino is laundering for the mob. Vaughn, who has the codes to the vault, joins Cox and steals the money. After the heist, the thieves are intercepted by Dog's henchmen. A gun battle ensues, wounding one of the thieves. Once their getaway driver escapes, the rest are forced to hijack a city bus. Police officer Kris Bajos hears the gunshots and pursues the bus. When Cox shoots through a window at Bajos, she calls for reinforcements. The police setup a road block.
Vaughn writes a passenger's phone number on a bus window, to enable Bajos to contact him. He warns her that Cox will kill passengers if the police do not clear the road blocks. Bajos follows through and Vaughn orders Bernie, the bus driver, to ram the road block, allowing the bus to enter the interstate highway. Passengers' mobile phones are thrown from the bus and Vaughn asks one of the passengers, a veterinarian student, to take care of the wounded thief. Cox calls Jono, an old man who aided them in planning the robbery, to update him. The bus is running low on fuel, so Vaughn calls for a fuel tanker.
Detective Marconi joins forces with Bajos and instructs her to drive the fuel tanker. Marconi briefs SWAT and monitors the bus via a police helicopter. Vaughn allows Pauline and a young boy to leave the bus. During refueling, Vaughn allows Bajos to board the bus to check on the hostages. After Bajos suggests that the wounded thief be let off the bus for medical treatment, Cox objects and she has an altercation with Cox, during which she takes his gun from his waist. Vaughn defuses the situation. As she wraps up refueling, Vaughn asks Bajos to let him know how Pauline is. At the police station the boy is reunited with his mom and Bajos interviews Pauline. Dog learns the location of Jono through a police radio scanner.
With the wounded thief suffering blood loss Vaughn calls Marconi, who boards the bus from a SWAT truck with a medical emergency kit. He hands the vet student a syringe with 'pain meds' and the wounded thief dies. Marconi gets a call from Pope and tosses the phone to Vaughn, revealing Marconi's affiliation with Pope. Marconi is thrown from the bus and a SWAT team attacks the bus, popping a tire, causing it to crash near a bridge.
With police surrounding the bus, Cox holds Bernie hostage. Vaughn shoots Cox, saving Bernie. Vaughn receives a call from his daughter saying that she is okay and Bajos tells him she knows about the hospital bills. Vaughn negotiates with Marconi the release of all the hostages except one and, once the tire is repaired, the bus departs. The police authorities follow the bus, but Vaughn escapes with the money in a police car.
Vaughn arrives at Jono's, but finds him shot dead. Dog knocks him out with a shot of rock salt. Back on the bus, they are joined by Pope and Marconi, though Pope kills Marconi as Dog pours gasoline over Vaughn. Pope gloats that Vaughn did not make it to the hospital by 7pm with the money. However, Pauline is Vaughn's sister, and hid $300,000 under her shirt by pretending to be pregnant. She pays the hospital bill. Bajos deduces what Pauline is doing but does not stop her.
Pope shoots Dog dead before he can light up Vaughn. Pope loosens Vaughn's ropes and tells him his mother had a saying about people on their deathbed speaking of regrets. He hands a grateful Vaughn the keys to his Rolls-Royce car, which is parked outside, so he can go visit his daughter. Pope waits on the bus as the police arrive.
Cast
*
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
as Francis "The Pope" Silva
*
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor of television and film, best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022), for which he has received critical acclaim. He ...
as Luke Vaughn
*
Kate Bosworth
Catherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she rose to prominence with her role as a young surfer in the box-offi ...
as Sydney Silva
*
Morris Chestnut
Morris Lamont Chestnut (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Ricky in the 1991 film ''Boyz n the Hood''. He has appeared in feature films and on television series, including the starring role of ...
as Derrick "The Dog" Prince
*
Dave Bautista
David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He had several stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Destro ...
as Jason Cox
*
Gina Carano
Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982) is an American actress and former mixed martial artist. She competed in EliteXC and Strikeforce from 2006 to 2009, where she compiled a 7–1 record. Her popularity led to her being called the "face of women ...
as Officer Krizia "Kris" Bajos
*
D.B. Sweeney
Daniel Bernard Sweeney (born November 14, 1961) is an American actor.
Early life
Sweeney was born in Shoreham, New York, on November 14, 1961. He attended both Tulane and New York University.
Career
In 1990, Sweeney starred as Treplev in Jeff Co ...
as Bernie
*
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar (; born March 1, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles, most notably as Zack Morris in ''Saved by the Bell''. In 1991, he won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Starring in an Off-Pri ...
as Marconi
*
Stephen Cyrus Sepher as Julian Dante
*
Tyson Sullivan
Tyson Sullivan (born 1986) is an American film and television actor. He was born in Plano, Texas to Tommie and David Sullivan. He entered the business of acting and film at a very young age, getting his first paid acting job when he was just a ...
as Mickey
* Christopher Rob Bowen as Eric
* Lydia Hull as Pauline
* Scott Herman as Sergeant Thomas Forbes
Production
On November 6, 2013, at the
American Film Market
The American Film Market (AFM) is a film industry event held each year in early November.
Historically, more than 7,000 people attend the eight-day annual event to network and to sell, finance and acquire films. Participants come from more than ...
sale, it was announced that film production and financing company
Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films
Emmett/Furla Oasis Films (EFO Films), previously known as Emmett/Furla Films and Oasis Ventures Entertainment separately, is an American film and television production and financing company founded by Randall Emmett and George Furla in 1998. It is ...
acquired a heist script, then titled ''Bus 757'', from writer
Stephen Cyrus Sepher.
The script, about a card dealer who puts a crew together to rob a bank and hijack a city bus, with an announced budget of $15 million budget, was being produced by Randall Emmett, George Furla, Alexander Tabrizi and Sepher.
On May 17, 2014, it was announced that
Scott Mann would direct,
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
would distribute, and
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
would star in the lead role of "The Pope", the casino owner whose money is the target of the heist.
The title of the film had been changed to ''Bus 657'' by September 24, 2014, when
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor of television and film, best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022), for which he has received critical acclaim. He ...
,
Kate Bosworth
Catherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she rose to prominence with her role as a young surfer in the box-offi ...
,
Dave Bautista
David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He had several stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Destro ...
and
Gina Carano
Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982) is an American actress and former mixed martial artist. She competed in EliteXC and Strikeforce from 2006 to 2009, where she compiled a 7–1 record. Her popularity led to her being called the "face of women ...
joined the cast of the film, which also added Max Adams as an additional screenwriter.
On October 13, it was confirmed that screenwriter and actor Sepher was spotted on the set, later confirmed to be performing as one of the robbery crew.
Morris Chestnut
Morris Lamont Chestnut (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Ricky in the 1991 film ''Boyz n the Hood''. He has appeared in feature films and on television series, including the starring role of ...
was spotted on the set on October 15, with his casting as Derrick "Dog" Prince confirmed two days later, acting as "The Pope's" right-hand man who has to bring the money back before the cops seize it and realize it's dirty.
Filming was scheduled to take place in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...
, but was moved to
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
and filming began on October 13, 2014.
On October 15, De Niro was spotted filming in the Crystal Ballroom of
The Battle House Hotel
The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa, is a historic hotel in Mobile, Alabama. The current structure was built in 1908 as the Battle House Hotel. It is the second hotel by that name to stand in this location, replacing an earlier Battl ...
, which had been transformed into a 1940s-style casino called "The Swan Casino". On the same day scenes were filmed on the corner of Royal and St. Francis streets in downtown Mobile.
On October 21, filming took place on the
Causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
, which was closed by the police from the eastbound entrance of
Bankhead Tunnel
The Bankhead Tunnel, formally the John H. Bankhead Tunnel, is a road tunnel in Mobile, Alabama that carries Government Street under the Mobile River from Blakeley Island to the downtown Mobile business district.
"Mobile City Guide" (map, land ...
to east of the
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park and museum on the western shore of Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama, Mobile, Alabama. It has a collection of notable aircraft and museum ships including the and . USS ''Alabama'' and USS ''Drum'' ...
.
Release
In October 2014, at the
American Film Market
The American Film Market (AFM) is a film industry event held each year in early November.
Historically, more than 7,000 people attend the eight-day annual event to network and to sell, finance and acquire films. Participants come from more than ...
sale, the film (under its second title, ''Bus 657'') was sold to a number of international distributors, including Lionsgate International for the UK. The film was released on November 13, 2015 in a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
and through
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
.
[
]
Reception
The film was poorly received by film critics. , the film holds a 29% approval rating on the review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
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 ...
, based on 28 reviews with an average score of 4.8 out of 10. The website's consensus reads, "''Heist'' stacks its deck with an all-star cast but this humorless action potboiler doesn't give them a good hand to play." Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
gave the film 37/100, a generally unfavorable rating, based on a weighted average rating of 11 reviews.
Chris Nashawaty of ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave ''Heist'' a C, describing it as a generic and forgettable thriller that is particularly derivative of ''Speed
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...
'', which he considered a superior film. Writing in the ''New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'', Kyle Smith also made the ''Speed'' comparison and said the film is "Unabashedly preposterous in the manner of 1980s action movies", but added that the solid character motivations, occasionally witty dialogue, and clever final plot twist serve to make it a serviceable if unimpressive film. He gave it two stars.
References
External links
*
{{Scott Mann
2015 crime thriller films
2015 action thriller films
2010s heist films
American action thriller films
American crime thriller films
American heist films
Films about hijackings
Films shot in Mobile, Alabama
Films set in the Las Vegas Valley
MoviePass Films films
Films directed by Scott Mann
Lionsgate films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films