Cliché ‘Code’ a waste of time

The Code

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Radha Mitchell.
Directed By: Mimi Leder.
Rating: R for sexuality, language and some nudity.
Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes.

How to make a heist movie 101:

• Choose either large sum of cash or random, obscure object (preferably shiny/diamond-coated) that is worth a large sum of cash.

• Make audience cheer for “bad guys” while seeing “good guys” as corrupt and greedy.

• Cast blonde bombshell as sex interest whose life is put in danger by the heisters’ actions.

• Must include a moving laser motion detector and a “unique” way of getting through it.

• Mafia connections a plus.

• Take five to 10 minutes at the end of the movie to explain what the heck happened during the other hour and a half.

Heist movies are perhaps the epitome of recycled storylines. When done right, the film can be clever, fun, smart, the clichés used in creative ways to stand the film apart and make it a must-see (“Ocean’s 11”). When done incorrectly, the movie is owned by the clichés and ends up feeling like a waste of time for the film crew and the audience.

“The Code” (officially titled “Thick as Thieves”) falls under the latter category. With its cookie-cutter plot and uninspired acting/directing, “The Code” is an unfortunate creation of modern Hollywood.
Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas must have been hard up for work. I know this is a recession, guys, but come on. Unsurprisingly, director Mimi Leder and writer Ted Humphrey are most familiar with the small screen and should stick with TV shows in the future.

The basic premise of “The Code” is that seasoned thief Keith Ripley (Freeman) convinces Gabriel Martin (Banderas) to team up with him in an effort to steal two Fabergé eggs from a Russian jewelry museum. Needless to say, the prized eggs are secured behind an “impassable” labyrinth of guards, hand-print-reading screens, voice-recognition software, fancy lasers, and, of course, a top-notch vault. When Martin meets Ripley’s goddaughter, Alexandra Korelenko (Radha Mitchell), a lawyer, he immediately falls for and pursues her despite Ripley’s admonitions.

Alex becomes kidnapped by a Russian mob boss who also wants the eggs (valued at $20M a piece) and uses Alex’s life as a way to convince Ripley and Martin to steal the eggs for him instead.
Throughout the team’s preparations, they are pursued by the NYPD officer Lt. Weber (Robert Forster), who seems aware of the two’s plan to steal items of value but is unable to prevent it.

The “connection” between Ripley and Alex is trite and overplayed. After having a one-night stand, Ripley claims to have fallen in love with Alex, but the connection between Banderas and Mitchell never seems quite right. In fact, the love affair just seems to be a convenient excuse for overly explicit and unnecessary sex scenes.

There seems to be no explanation as to why the DVD is titled “The Code” while it is found on imdb.com as “Thick as Thieves.” There also seems to be no explanation as to why the movie was not released theatrically, though that one may not need an explanation.

Besides Banderas’ accent, the only reason to watch the movie is to see what “twist” they came up with. And, while the “twist” is in itself a clichéd plot device, “The Code” has an admittedly unique one. Despite this and a blissfully short running time, the movie is nothing exceptional and may be worth watching once if it’s on TV, you’re trapped inside by a six-foot blizzard, and the only other thing on is a “House of Payne” marathon.

2 of 5 stars