The Art of the Steal Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Art of the Steal Blu-ray Movie Review

This ain't no swipe of second.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 1, 2014

There's no such thing as one last big job.

Unless it goes to the dark, gritty, ultra-violent end of the spectrum, the Heist film represents one of those largely immutable genres that's defined by a few of the big boys on the list and a lot of copycats that cannot escape that overhanging sense of déjà vu lurking behind every shot. The Art of the Steal is one such film that, beyond the changing names, faces, and plot specifics, feels like something that's been done before. The picture garners little novelty even in its twisty-turny reveals that are themselves products similar to other films that throw a barrage of alternate, story-redefining clips at the audience in rapid fire fashion at the end, clips that put most everything seen before into an entirely different context. Ultimately, the film proves satisfying on a base level but audiences shouldn't expect an end product that redefines its genre.

Throwback assault with a deadly weapon.

Longtime thief and famed motorcycle stuntman Crunch Calhoun (Kurt Russell) thought he was out of the thieving business, but one is never really out, instead just on long vacations (mostly to the quaint little confines of prison) that take one away from the action on a temporary basis. Crunch is brought back into the game for one more can't-miss heist, hoping to snatch a priceless book, the second one acclaimed print-man Johannes Gutenberg ever made: the Gospel of James, an excised chapter from the Holy Bible, the latter, coincidentally, the first book to roll off Gutenberg's press. His group includes, amongst others, his half-brother Nicky (Matt Dillon), the group's idea and joke man; his apprentice Francie (Jay Baruchel); and the team's expert forger, Guy (Chris Diamantopoulos). The plan is to smuggle a duplicate book in and take the real mccoy out. Simple enough, it sounds, but looks aren't always as they seem and there's more at play than a simple swap-and-grab.

There are brief moments when The Art of the Steal seems like it's headed in the right direction. The open makes for a fun diversionary character introduction, even as the picture unimaginatively relies on to the faux drama of the "countdown clock" that challenges the "hero" to return before time's up, cutting it right down to the second. The scene works because Russell injects a palpable sense of urgency and a very real charm into it, overcoming the absence of tension with a wit and a wink-and-a-nod. Sadly, the picture doesn't maintain that same level of levity-meets-standard-mechanics for the duration. It shows spurts -- a fun scene between Jay Baruchel and a border patrol agent, for example, in which the actor's character attempts to pass through customs with a fake beard falling off his face -- but never really offsets its standard-cadence approach with anything but momentary diversions that are almost entirely a product of good casting and quality acting and less about how the film is written and technically assembled.

Though it lacks originality, The Art of the Steal puts together an occasionally charming, happy-go-lucky little diversionary Heist film experience that's almost completely a product of its good cast camaraderie and not its script or style. Though it may be of the typically convoluted variety (several of the actors didn't really "get it" at first) and constructed on the usual array of split screens and other 1970s-styled genre devices and graphics that only reinforce that base feeling of unoriginality, the picture's charm and quality character interactions help to maintain an even pace while the audience watches the story unfold and awaits the inevitable sudden turn of events in the final minutes. In most every way possible, the film plays it safe, taking a rather tepid approach to the material, afraid of risks or a change of pace in hopes of hitting the necessary notes and not tweaking them for a spicier or, at the very least, alternate take on an old standby genre. That's the movie in a nutshell, playing as one that's unoffensive but wholly unmemorable, well made but not novel, and nicely acted but not enough to lift the film beyond that crowded middle ground of mediocrity where most movies reside.

The Art of the Steal Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Art of the Steal's 1080p transfer isn't quite a masterpiece, but it's well beyond its apprenticeship. The 1080p transfer certainly never allows audiences to forget the picture's digital roots, taking on a flat and somewhat smooth sheen. The good news is that, generally, coloring and detailing are brilliant. As for the former first, the palette proves satisfyingly rich and varied once the action moves past the gray-dominant opening minutes in the Polish prison. Yellow accents boldly contrast with a white background. Abundantly colorful signage dots a city background. Various hues stand part from snowy backdrops. The transfer offers a rich, satisfying assortment of colors throughout. Details are excellent. Facial close-ups will leave some in the cast ruing the day high definition was brought to market. Clothing lines are excellent, and image clarity and stability helps in the revelation of various background elements with lifelike accuracy. Black levels are generally good, though sometimes hinting towards crush, once or twice appearing too pale and purple, and infrequently dotted with noise. Otherwise, this is an eye-popping transfer with color and detail that ranks with the best.

The Art of the Steal Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Art of the Steal swipes onto Blu-ray with a balanced, effective, and enjoyable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track goes to work with a rather basic toolset at its disposal, presenting music, support, action, and dialogue with commendable clarity and stage presence. Music is playful and punchy in tone and spacious in presentation, enjoying robust notes, solid clarity, and a balanced surround support. The track features a wide array of ambient support effects that help better define a number of scenes, including airport din, crowd applause, street-level atmospherics, and blowing winds. A few action scenes are presented with commendable clarity and stage presence, including a few motorcycle chases (props to the cool scene in which a couple of bikes speed through a subway car, easily the movie's single best moment). Dialogue enjoys center-front placement with natural pitch and volume. All told, this is a good track in every regard.

The Art of the Steal Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Art of the Steal contains three supplements.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Jonathan Sobol & Producer Nicholas Tabarrok deliver a decent track, covering the film's title changes, alterations between initial script and final product, the picture's style, cast and characters, story details, shooting locations, and much more. They also offer a number of fun anecdotes from the set. It's not a track that will change all that many people's minds about the movie, but it's a fair listen and occasionally insightful beyond standard commentary lines.
• Doing the Crime: Making The Art of the Steal (SD, 29:36): Cast and crew offer an interesting examination of the scriptwriting process, story origins, plot intricacies, casting and performances, the details behind the shoot, Director Jonathan Sobol's work, and more.
• The Making of "The Theft of the Mona Lisa" (SD, 5:03): A look into the construction of the film's flashback sequence.

The Art of the Steal Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Art of the Steal is a decent movie, nothing more and nothing less. This is a good example of the classic midlevel motion picture, one that does nothing wrong, per se, but that really does nothing right, either, in terms of differentiating itself from the pack. A few good moments are spread amongst a movie genre fans have seen before, just with different names and faces. Keep expectations in check and chances are most viewers will find the movie a satisfying diversion even if it has nothing new of note to offer. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of The Art of the Steal features excellent video, good audio, and several extras. Rent it.