Easygoing and fun, Way Down is your average television heist movie and should be judged as such. It’s something you can watch with the whole family and don’t worry about sex or murder scenes. A definition of a feel-good movie that should keep you awake. The production quality is good, just a notch below the blockbuster standards. With sleek cinematography and imposing sets, it’s really easy on the eye. Of course, to go along with all this is a simplistic and yet smart story set against the backdrop of the World Cup. The huge success of the tv series La Casa De Papel AKA Money Heist might have pushed them towards this setup. Oddly enough, just two years earlier, back in 2019 another heist movie was released with almost the same title, Vault.
With steady pacing and a couple of clever twists, Way Down features a vibrant atmosphere. It’s not one of those smart thrillers like Baby Driver but an average late-night timekiller. Just think of Now You See Me or Oceans 11, but on a budget. The dialogues are also quite cliched along with characters. We got our hacker, fixer, muscle, and brains all working together. I don’t know how they came up with the South Africa World Cup 2010 in soccer gimmick but it’s quite an effective one. It will bring back a lot of memories for the fans and it served as a nice subplot making the main story more dynamic. And don’t worry, they didn’t push it too hard, so if you don’t follow or like football it won’t be a problem.
Thom Laybrick is a brilliant young student about to make his first steps in the world of business. However, he’s contacted by a mysterious and beautiful woman offering him a different kind of job. A job that might not be altogether legal or even possible to pull off. Thom seems intrigued and this is where he meets Walter Moreland, the leader of the crew, and learns more about a job. A job that’s actually a freaking heist.
Way Down features an experienced cast of familiar faces led by none other than Ser Davos Seaworth AKA Liam Cunningham. We also have Sam Riley (Control), Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel), and two phenomenal Spanish actors. Surely I mentioned that this is a Spanish production surprisingly directed by Jaume Balagueró. If you haven’t checked out his filmography be sure to do so, especially movies like Frágiles, [Rec] and his best movie Mientras Duermes. Lois Tosar and Jose Coronado are two of his frequent collaborators. Since we’re recommending movies, I have to mention Jose’s best movie to date No Habrá Paz Para Los Malvados. Although La Caja 507 might be more appropriate here. And in the end, I also have to confess that I’m in love again. This time with beautiful and talented Astrid Bergès-Frisbey. I think that the review of El sexo de los ángeles will be live pretty soon.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t offer you our Subversive Rabbit selection of Heist Movies. Enjoy.
Director: Jaume Balagueró
Writers: Rowan Athale, Michel Gaztambide, Borja Glez. Santaolalla, Andrés M. Koppel, Rafa Martínez
Cast: Liam Cunningham, Sam Riley, Freddie Highmore, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Luis Tosar, Jose Coronado, Axel Stein, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba
Fun Facts: The movie ends teasing a possible sequel set two years later.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9742794/
