Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: CROOKS [Tribeca Film Festival - New York, New York]
"Crooks" [Viewpoints] wants to be cool and slick..an almost grindhouse picture and film noir all wrapped into one. It is also wants to throw the audience off but, in certain ways, it is really two different films with one at a certain point taking advantage of the other. Another film set in modern time in the California desert at Fantastic Fest two years ago fared a little bit better because this kind of stilted dialogue with a bit of entendre really needs a certain type of actor. The beginning of the film (which comes off immensely stylish and is probably where they spent most of the budget) has a great Prohibition style to it but when it heads to a den of inequity it loses a little of its crunch because it falls back way too much on old stereotypes. Of course, in this film, the women are way more interesting than the men by far. Angela Trimbur as Faye really works but her characterization is cut short in a way because her path is extremely cool and unique when she isn’t dealing with men but then her story takes a different turn.
The second half of the film shifts into a different dynamic but a weird one that feels uneven, even in the shooting of it (which the producer did explain in a way after the screening). Faye happens upon Blanche (Melora Walters) in a diner. Walters hasn’t been on screen as much lately (sort of like Sossamon in "Hallowarrior") so she definitely gives it her all though the motivation did need some work. Walters knows the kind of movie she is in and plays it to a pitch especially when it leads into the final act with a certain ghost showing up. That character is a well known character actor and he also knows the genre he is playing in. The problem is that "Crooks" with the exception of Trimbur when she gets on the road doesn’t seem as dangerous as it could be. The loss of what we are seeing needs to be felt a little more. "Road To Perdition" is a good comparison with the second half of that film but. of course, that film is in a whole other league. "Crooks" does have a cool essence of homage to it paving enough with its characters but never quite bringing them fully to fruition save for one cool through the grass shot towards the end that really shows where Blanche is willing to go. That same feeling happens when Timbur is driving because of when chaos strikes. "Crooks" has its moments but either it is too on-the-nose or not enough despite its best attempts. B-
By Tim Wassberg
