Flypaper features a very easygoing blend of action, comedy, and crime, with a lot of mystery on top. And while this sounds really good on paper, in reality, you will need a lot of effort and skill to pull something like this off. And depending on your expectations, you will either find this movie entertaining or just too messy. The story develops at a breakneck pace forcing the viewer to focus on what’s happening at the moment. This leaves little room for reflection but it also neatly covers up any inconsistencies. After all, this is a movie with two simultaneous heists of the same fucking bank!
The comedic aspect of Flypaper works best in my opinion. And while there might be a lot more murders than I expected, I still found the jokes funny. This is not surprising as the writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore also wrote the hilarious hit Hangover. Now, the cast did a good job but I think that Patrick Dempsey was miscast. A movie like this needed a more intense lead and the guy was just too aloof. Luckily, we have a lot of fun supporting characters and it was nice to see Mekhi Phifer again.
With a running time of just under ninety minutes, this is a refreshing heist comedy perfect for one viewing. After a furious start, you simply don’t know where they’re going with this concept. And how far are they willing to take it. So, you can count on a lot of twists, most of which you won’t see coming. Although, some of them were pretty obvious from the start. The most important thing is to relax and just go with the flow.
As Tripp was talking to the bank teller a group of highly sophisticated bank robbers appears out of nowhere. And while that’s quite surprising, what really threw him off was another group of bank robbers who shows up at the same time. With tensions slowly rising, everyone feels that this is going to end in a shootout. However, what they don’t know is that the shootout is actually the beginning of it all.
Considering the $8 million budget, Flypaper looks fucking insane. We’ve got explosions, shootouts, and all sorts of other shenanigans, and all of the look believable and cool. The cinematography is sleek and sharp and the camerawork is dynamic. Something that’s always a plus when you’re making a one-location movie. You might even consider it a parody of all those serious heists or post-heist movies. Like a hilarious take on the Usual Suspects or Reservoir Dogs. If you’re looking for similar movies, do check out Botched starring Stephen Dorff.
Director: Rob Minkoff
Writers: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Cast: Ashley Judd, Patrick Dempsey, Octavia Spencer, Tim Blake Nelson, Tim Blake Nelson
Fun Facts: Jessica Biel and Liv Tyler were considered for the lead female role.
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1541160/
