The Hurricane Heist could’ve been a great B-movie action-er but outside of some genuinely funny moments, this is the sort of plot I’ve seen many times over the years, most of them destined for the DTV market, where this one should have landed. As it is, this is not in the least terrible and probably passably entertaining at times.
The Hurricane Heist
(2018)
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Crime
Lionsgate | PG13 – 100 min. – $29.99 | June 5, 2018
Date Published: 06/09/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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Lionsgate provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 2.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: As a massive hurricane builds, criminals infiltrate a U.S. Mint facility. Their plan: to steal $600 million and escape using a Category 5 hurricane as cover. But treasury agent Casey Corbyn (MAGGIE GRACE) and meteorologist Will Rutledge (TOBY KEBBELL) have a plan of their own, desperately racing against time – and the hurricane – to save the hostages and stop the thieves before their town is reduced to rubble.
Quick Hit Review: The Hurricane Heist should be the kind of movie I would dig and, frankly, at times I can say there was goofy fun moments like two characters strapping on wires onto harnesses and fling up into the sky as a hurricane whirls around them. Laughable. But other than that, what surrounds those silly scenes, is bland dialogue and even blander, paper-thinly written characters that you really couldn’t care about, even with a prologue opening with two brothers losing their father to a Cat5 storm (guess it’s Twister meets Man of Steel). As for the performances, you basically got a collection of B/C actors, a few recognizable faces like Toby Kebbell, in yet another box office flop that wasn’t his fault beyond accepting the role in the first place, Maggie Grace, better known to most audiences as the daughter in the Taken movies and… Ben Cross (remember him?). Again, neither really standout, as do the plethora of bad guys making up the gang including its leader, the prototypical baddie with a British accent of course.
The film was directed by Rob Cohen and as the artwork reminds us, from the font alone, also helmed The Fast and the Furious, in a series that has kind of made it look quant by comparison. Here, the direction was fine considering the poor script with some really lame “twists”. In regards to the production itself, I’ll give them a tiny bit of credit for the amount of effects work done the reported $35 million budget was slightly impressive. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5 |
| This release comes with a glossy slip cover and includes a Digital HD redemption code. The features are available on both the 4K and Blu-ray discs.
Audio Commentary – Director Rob Cohen shows he is a charismatic guy and really fills the time telling some yarns on-location in Bulgaria and what drew him to the project. The Eye of the Storm (17:44; HD) is a decent behind-the-scenes featurette on the production with some footage on how some scenes were shot and interviews with the cast and crew discussing the plot and characters. Hollywood Heist: A Conversation with Rob Cohen (23:45; HD) is an interview with Cohen on his career as both a producer and director. Might not be the best filmmaker around, he is a good storyteller about Hollywood. VFX Reel (3:52; HD) is a composite featurette looking at the breakdown of certain shots from the basics to final version. Lastly we get two Deleted Scenes (2:11; HD). Preview – 47 Meters Down |
4K VIDEO – 4.25/5, BD VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| The Hurricane Heist blows onto 4K and Blu-ray, presented with a 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio. The 2160p transfer for the UHD looks pretty good, though hardly fantastic especially comparing it to other mid-budget theatrical releases. Detail is relatively sharp, though, and what color there is, chiefly within the U.S. Mint facility, is normally bright with a fine boost by the HDR. The Blu-ray meanwhile isn’t quite as sharp, as you might suspect, yet the 1080p resolution does look fine. Detail is moderately sharp throughout. |
4K/BD AUDIO – 5.0/5 |
| Both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray is equipped with a Dolby Atmos track and this is where this film really comes to life. When the hurricane begins to whirl, every available channel booms and with the action scenes coming in, with a truck chase and gunplay, the LFE does turn on for that extra amazing boost. This is a nicely in-depth track that is damn near reference quality, now if only the movie was worthy… |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, The Hurricane Heist could’ve been a great B-movie action-er but outside of some genuinely funny moments, this is the sort of plot I’ve seen many times over the years, most of them destined for the DTV market, where this one should have landed considering its poor box office. As it is, this is not in the least terrible and probably passably entertaining at times and a fine time-waster, nothing more. This 4K release offers up a very good video transfer and reference quality audio, though the special features were so-so. |
The screen captures came from the Blu-ray copy and are here to add visuals to the review and do not represent the 4K video.