There are certain types of movies that can be compared to pizza; even if it is not a great example it is still satisfying. One genre that fits into this category nicely is the crime thriller, specifically one involving a robbery. The carefully planned heist offers a fertile ground for the filmmaker who can use this premise as a springboard for comedy as in the ‘Ocean’s’ franchise or a tightly crafted film noir as demonstrated by the 1947 ‘Kiss of death’. Many members of the audience get a various thrill out of escaping from their well ordered, law abiding lives to take a visit to the criminal underbelly of society. One of the latest stabs at producing this kind of flick is the one examined here, ‘Catch .44’. Up front it should be noted that the movie does have a considerable amount of potential that is not quite fulfilled. To extend the original analogy the cheese and crust are present but the tomato sauce was not up to ‘Famous Ray’s’ standards. The movie is fun albeit definitely geared decidedly towards the male sensibilities. This is not the kind of flick for date night but if your friends are over and the game is rained out it is just right. The combination of tough guy criminals, a myriad of guns and a gang of crooks composed of exceptionally beautiful young women is one that no group of guys is about to turn off. With that said the movie is a reasonable beer and pizza flick as long as you manage your expectations. The film is a bit of a mélange of techniques borrowed from more experienced filmmakers standing unsteadily on their shoulders. It is a case of overreaching but I do feel compelled to give a few extra points for attempting this degree of difficulty so early in his career. There is sufficient display of potential talent here that the filmmaker currently resides on my watch list as I anxiously await his next opus. As for this flick it remains solid enough as entertainment although the mixture of techniques seems to be like a new auteur anxious to try out

Ripping a page directly out of the Quentin Tarantino film guide relatively new director Aaron Harvey borrows the use of chronology as the director and the popular setting of a dinner as the creator of the screenplay. This scene initiates the story which is told through a non linear chronology. If this sounds familiar it should. Discussing a criminal enterprise before embarking on a time jumping tale was used more expertly in a pair of early Tarantino films, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’. I understand why Mr. Harvey made a stylistic choice that would justifiably invite comparison. It is a common practice for those studying various forms of artistic expression to deconstruct through emulation the elements of an established master. This provides what is typically perceived as a classical form of artistic education. Harvey does attempt to place his own unique stamp of the plot device and setting by infusing a string western under current into the film. This is not achieved in any uncertain fashion but clearly announced with an opening musical cue that is straight out of a spaghetti western. It does strongly indicate that Harvey will not remain content in the shadow of the masters in his profession. With the twanging guitar and cracking whip you fully expect to see a man riding up on a horse but the first full setup of the movie is a car coming down a deserted stretch of highway. Driving the car is a nearly catatonic Tes
(Malin Akerman). Just as we get a close p the flat affect covering her face we move back to the diner. Tes is extolling the benefits of a woman faking her way through life to the other members of her crew; Kara (Nikki Reed) and Dawn (Deborah Ann Woll). This is an excellent example of female casting to help balance the strong male actors about to enter the story. Akerman has been consistently busy both on television and in film, Reed is a central character in the ‘Twilight Saga’ and Woll portrays ‘baby Vamp Jessica on the HBO staple, ‘True Blue’. Considering the actors about to appear include action flick legend Bruce Willis and Oscar winning Forest Whitaker it helps to have attractive women already recognizable in the cast. Of course, the e extent of participation provide by Willis is less than the cover art would imply the presence of these actors is well perceived. The trio of femme fatales are in the employ of Mel (Willis) waiting in the diner for their appointed score. As the impromptu stickup goes fatally wrong the music switches to a modern techo-eseque sound that reminded me a bit of the opening refrain of The Who’s ‘Tommy’.

The story is basically compelling enough and the principle acting is more than sufficient to carry the film but the frequent and rapidly shifting styles has and overall effect of being very disconcerting. It is almost impossible to surrender to the moment when the substrate of the movie is in a state of constant flux. I appreciate the filmmaker is familiar with the heist flick tropes but seriously, take a long term view and pace yourself as a filmmaker. There is absolutely no sound rational for pacing so many techniques into a single work. This is the kind of story that depends on a series of events cascading into each other to permit the account to unfold. In order for this to be effective the audience needs to have a consistent central narrative to center the action, chronological bouncing makes this exceptionally arduous precluding the audience from achieving a full understanding of the event. It also resulted in a minimization of growth with the characters. The film is beautifully filmed and is a visually fascinating piece. Harvey has an exceptional eye for setting the stage but now needs to work on the flow of his film

Once the filmmaker settles down and embraces developing his own style he will be someone to watch. He just needs to get this out of his system and come to appreciate the longer perspective spreading his ideas over a career instead of pushing them into a single film.