Remember those action movies from the ’90s and ’00s that you loved, but then you go back and watch them again and realize they aren’t that great? (Don’t think of the action movies that were actually good; think of “Cliffhanger,” “Broken Arrow,” “Daylight,” “Dante’s Peak”). Well, that is what “The Hurricane Heist” gives you. The name alone should set your expectations for what you’re getting, so if you wind up disappointed you really only have yourself to blame.
“The Hurricane Heist” is a little bit of “Twister” mixed with “Hard Rain” directed by “the guy that did the ‘Fast and Furious’ movies.” The bad guys plan to rob a reserve bank in a small town, using the biggest hurricane in years as cover. Unfortunately for them, Casey (Maggie Grace) has a bad feeling and changes a password, which causes their plan to go sideways. Add in the local brothers (one a storm chaser who drives a storm-proof vehicle, and one a drunk f**k-up) and we have a team of unlikely heroes trying to stop the heist, with the twists, turns and action sequences you’d expect.
Grace is good as the lead, and the “guy from ‘True Blood’ ” (Ryan Kwanten) is also good. But Toby Kebbell is terrible. I’m not sure what he is doing here, but his accent is bad, and everything he does falls flat.
In all honesty, the movie is much better than it sounds if you are OK with mindless action and terrible Southern accents … which I am.
The picture and sound made this worth a watch for me, and almost caused me to increase my rating for that reason alone. The first 10 minutes are Atmos-demo-worthy as we get the swirly storm before the first picture is even on the screen. The movie uses the height and surround channels beautifully, and has a ton of lows too. It makes the movie a blast to experience.
So all in all, 3.5/5, but I’ll watch it again solely for the action and sound. If you have a home theater system, I’d push this rating to a 3.75 or 4 — haha!