While I tend to prefer more linear storytelling it it undeniable that editing a story where several disparate elements are interwoven into what finally becomes a recognizable and appreciable fabric is a dynamic, powerful way to create a narrative.  Many, many films have done this and it is probably a more popular editing technique now more than ever before.  This crime drama works the technique brilliantly, gradually pulling its characters together, tighter and tighter, until its outcome is inevitable and powerful.

Bart Layton’s drama follows a skilled thief (Chris Hemsworth) who eschews violence pulling off daring robberies in Southern California.  One detective (rumpled Mark Ruffalo) is hot on the trail, even though no other cops buy his theory.  One criminal boss (Nick Nolte) wants more from his thief and assigns a younger, less disciplined thief (Barry Keoghan) to push him a bit.  A couple of potential victims are followed and cased, and become part of the tightening plot, as does an unexpected romance.  All of this builds to an explosive finale.

I have to admit that despite the lawlessness and sheer greed of some of these characters, I found the way in which their stories were told and inter melded was sublime.  The “gray area” that exists for most people around taking advantage, or not, of opportunities for sudden wealth are explored with conscience and real gravitas.  When one character in particular crosses the line and goes bad, she has very good motivation for doing so.  Unlike a lot of these types of crime dramas the violence is mostly implied, and when it takes place it does so forcefully but without gratuity.  It’s almost like 1970s filmmaking, serious and solid, character-based but focused on telling an important story.  The important part here is human nature, the “what would you do?” in similar circumstances.

At 140 minutes the film is a bit overlong, and has a bit too much reckless racing through town, yet it surprised me at the end for being as restrained as it is.  But Bart Layton’s script delivers believable characters, a realistic scenario with consequences and opportunities for some fine acting along the way.  Its moral ambiguities add a powerful level of depth, and the whole thing has a great sense of impending conflict as it escalates.  Even if one doesn’t care so much for the central story, it is told really, really well, and that certainly won me over.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  9 March 2026.