I saw The Immortals once some twenty years ago and I still remember the main story quite well. This says something about this heist movie with an unusual twist and a great cast. It doesn’t waste any time and dives straight into the back room of a nightclub where the owner has gathered eight criminals to pull off a daring heist. First of all, let me just say how much I love these dirty dozen movies where a band of misfits and rich characters try to do the impossible. Although that concept here is fairly perverted. Something that becomes quite apparent once you start meeting our crew. Every single one of them has an interesting story to tell. And, as time goes on, you will empathize more and more with them.
You can definitely tell that Reservoir Dogs and The Usual Suspects came out just a couple of years earlier. However, The Immortals just draws inspiration from these movies along with French noir. And yet there’s just too much humor here to call it noir despite its dark shadow. At this point, I should tell you that there are a couple of twists in this movie that I’m struggling not to reveal. And I would love so much to talk about them. Mostly because they really influenced me at the time I saw it and again now, in a second viewing. But, I want you to have the same reaction, so the less you know the better.
Welcome to The Terminal, a fancy club run by a ruthless criminal that goes by the name of Jack. He just gathered eight strangers, all professional criminals who don’t know each other to pull off an impossible heist. To rob an overseas real estate investor loaded with cash. Our reluctant crew is paired off and sent to execute a series of heists all at the same time. The plan is once that is done to meet up again later that night at the same place. However, life is more complicated than that.
The cast consists of all the supporting cast in other, bigger movies and I’m sure you’ll recognize most of them. The cherry on the top is none other than Chris motherfucking Rock! Hell, this entire movie is worth watching just for his explanation of how the heist went down. I should also mention Tony Curtis, star of many fifties and sixties movies, still going strong. Eric Roberts was also phenomenal as Jack, the crafty mastermind of this whole thing.
Featuring a lot of shooting, jokes and well-written dialogue, The Immortals is very engaging. Most of it takes place in this sprawling nightclub with the grunge band rocking hard on stage. The band is called The Imposters and the song playing during the end credits was pure perfection. The whole grunge vibe of the nineties fits in perfectly with the plot. By the way, I would love to party in that fucking nightclub with all the different areas and an overall hedonistic vibe. Not to mention the drugs.
So, if you like Tarantino’s earlier movies, you’re going to love this one. It’s delightfully nihilistic but with a smile on its face. The themes it explores are important and will always be relevant. Each of the characters took a different route in life and has a different perspective on the same issues. And while the whole thing seems a bit contrived on paper, it works so well in this movie. I urge you to check it out because it has a lot to offer. Enjoy.
Director: Brian Grant
Writer: Elie Samaha, Kevin Bernhardt
Cast: Eric Roberts, Joe Pantoliano, Tia Carrere, Tony Curtis, Clarence Williams III, William Forsythe, Chris Rock
Fun Facts: Elie Samaha wrote the main story. He’s Tia Carrera’s former husband and co-owner of the Roxbury nightclub in Los Angeles.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113394/
