Seems like an ordinary bank heist. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When sisters Leah (Francesca Eastwood) and Vee Dillion (Taryn Manning) decide to rob a bank to save their brother Michael (Scott Haze), they think they have everything figured out. That is until everything starts to go wrong.
This movie gave me the same feeling as "From Dusk till Dawn". It starts as a heist movie, then takes a sharp left turn. Taryn Manning gives a fantastic performance as the more reckless Dillon sister. She is accompanied by Eastwood and Haze, whom I had not been introduced to until now, both giving excellent performances. The casting I wasn't sure of was that of James Franco as the bank vice president, Ed Maas. I love seeing actors like Franco in these different types of roles. It really shows their scope, and that definitely held true in this case.
After taking their hostages, the merry band of bank robbers discover that the bank vault is nearly empty. That's when Maas steps in and informs the crooks that there is a basement vault holding $6 million dollars, and he holds the key to the vault.
We soon finds that Michael isn't quite the bad guy is made out to be, as he begins to protect and care for the hostages while the others continue their heist. Accompanying the three siblings are various other robbers including a skinhead, a technician, and several others impersonating rescue personnel.
The robbers soon agree to open the basement vault with the help of Maas and that's when the story pulls a 180. While attempting to open the vault, our felons encounter crazed, zombie like beings that go unseen on the monitors that surround the bank.
Some truly gruesome death scenes, and an unraveling mystery fill the rest of the film. We discover that someone had robbed the bank once before, in 1982. The thief at the time was not as kind as the Dillon's, and had killed all of the hostages and bank employees at the time.
Long story short, the zombie-like beings that our present day thieves are encountering, are actually the long dead apparitions of the murdered hostages and employees. They are also surprisingly being led by a masked figure, thought to be the dead leader of the past thieves. I'll admit that at this time I was guessing that Franco's character was actually the masked bandit leader. I'll also let you know that I was wrong.
I've failed to mention, somehow, the always brilliant Clifton Collins Jr. as Detective Tom Iger. This was another character that I read completely wrong. I thought, at first that Iger was in on the heist, but I guess I was wrong? Collins is one of those actors that always put in stellar performances, but always goes unappreciated. He is essentially "that guy who played in that one movie". Which is completely unjustified.
While we get to see a man run a drill through his own head, and another use a shotgun to decapitate himself, we also get to see Michael give everything to ensure the safety of his sisters. Not only is there some really cool gore, this film comes packed with two twists at the end. What is the final fate of the sisters Dillon? And what mysterious role does Maas play in this twisted tale?
I didn't really have any interest in watching this movie. However, after watching a really disappointing film earlier this evening, I figured my choice in film couldn't get much worse. I decided to take a chance on this movie that I probably wouldn't have if the last movie would have been any good. I'm glad I did give it a shot though. I redeemed the night, and ended up enjoying myself. I'm sure fans of horror or the paranormal will have fun.
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