Liam Neeson brings his resourceful Taken persona to the lead role in the action crime drama Honest Thief.
He plays ex marine Tom who went on to become a successful bank robber.
In fact, he looted no less than 12 such small-town institutions of more than $9 million over eight years.
But then over a year ago he stopped.
He did so because in organising a storage unit, he met a lady, Annie (Katie Walsh), at the counter who has since become the love of his life.
They are even about to buy a house and move in together.
And now he wants to come clean in order to pursue that relationship without guilt.
Without revealing his past to Annie, Tom places a call to the FBI and attempts to broker a deal with them.
Only that doesn’t work out the way he expected it to.
Many have preceded Tom in claiming they were the “In and Out Bandit”.
That aside, money and greed go hand in glove.
Before long, Tom and Annie are in the fight of their lives ... and there will be casualties.
Along the way, we learn why Tom took up bank robbery in the first place.
Pacey and pulsating, Honest Thief kept me involved throughout.
While pushing credibility – as these types of vehicles more often than not do – Steve Allrich and Mark Williams (the latter of whom also directs) have nevertheless crafted an eminently watchable actioner.
The choice of talent to fill the primary roles aids their cause immeasurably.
Pros that they are, Liam Neeson and Kate Walsh effortlessly glide through their performances, both coming across as highly likeable.
He has charm and street smarts, as required by the persona he fills, and she sass and naïveté.
Theirs is a strong pairing.
I was less sold on those tackling the FBI functionaries, but they did enough to get them over the line.
Honest Thief is a film in which – if truth be told – the outcome is never in doubt, but it is a wild ride along the way on a journey worth taking.
Rated M, it scores a 7 out of 10.