5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A crew of retired crooks pull off a major heist in London's jewelry district.
Starring: Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Charlie Cox, Paul WhitehouseCrime | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, C (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There’s always room for a heist movie. It’s an evergreen genre that’s recently been tended to by the likes of “Ocean’s 8” and “Widows,” and now returns in “King of Thieves,” which offers an English take on heavily planned criminal endeavors. From the outside looking in, the picture seems to have it all, submitting a story that takes place around London’s diamond district, and the cast couldn’t be better, with Michael Caine leading an ensemble of older actors playing up age-related issues as their characters participate in an elaborate theft. At least half of the film seems to understand the feisty appeal of Grumpy Old Men dealing with a new world of surveillance and security, but “King of Thieves” (based on a true story) doesn’t stay lively long enough, suffering some dramatic balance issues as director James Marsh (“The Theory of Everything,” “Man on Wire”) peaks too soon with seemingly surefire material.
The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation leads with detail, providing a sharp viewing experience that carefully examines aging lead actors. Facial surfaces are exact, and costuming has its fibrous highlights, surveying formal wear and domestic comfort attire. Locations are dimensional, and interiors are open for study, including the Hatton Garden vault, which is filled with concrete and steel textures. Colors are appealing, with strong greenery and clothing, while more varied hues emerge during nightclub visits and computer displays. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Banding is periodically detected.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix follows a jazzy mood, with soundtrack selections and scoring loud and crisp, capturing snappy percussion and bass slides. Fullness is felt through surround activity, pushing out music and adding adequate atmospherics, with room tone noted. Dialogue exchanges are defined, giving heavy accents definition (subtitles are recommended to navigate the slang). Low-end isn't taxed, but some weight is felt. A brief audio dropout is encountered around the 28:00 mark.
The aftermath of the heist introduces a few problems to "King of Thieves." Tone is darkened by angrier attitudes from the men, who push Brian out and bare their teeth to Basil, making distribution of wealth problematic. Such entanglements can't compete with the brighter first half of the feature, and when the cops begin closing in, the whole endeavor starts to cycle through talk of double-crosses and alternative plans, becoming more about tepid threats than action. "King of Thieves" begins to feel one-sided and uneventful, with the screenplay dragging out the real-life outcome of the crime, eventually reaching a conclusion instead of nailing an ending. There's plenty of personality and thespian skill on display here worth enjoying, but the talent can't sustain the film in full, with Marsh missing necessary emphasis when it comes to the true pressure points of the heist.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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