The Above-Average “The Honest Thief” (2020) Isn’t so Easy to Pull Off (Part II of II)

(Continued from Part I)

Tom Dolan (Nielson) is an ex-U.S. Marine who’s successfully pulled off several bank robberies without getting caught. One day, he goes to a storage unit facility looking for a place to store the money he stole, and meets Annie Wilkins (Kate Walsh), a psychology graduate student who is an employee there.

Flash forward a year and Dolan has fallen in love with her. He wants to settle down together, but decides that he has to come to terms with his criminal past before doing so. He contacts the FBI in order to confess in exchange for a short sentence so he can get on with his life with Annie.

So far, so good.

FBI Agent Sam Baker (Robert Patrick), who takes the call, thinks this is another false confession but sends John Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Ramon Hall (Anthony Ramos) to follow-up anyways. Skeptical after speaking with Dolan, Nivens and Hall eventually come to believe Dolan when they discover the stolen money at the storage facility. Once they see the millions in cash, Nivens decides to keep the money for himself and convinces Hall to go along.

It’s around here that the film begins to descend into familiar territory.

After hiding the money, Nivens plots to kill Dolan but accidentally kills Baker who came to check on Dolan himself. As Baker’s partner Sean Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) investigates the murder, Nivens and Hall try to frame Dolan, and the rest of the film revolves around Nivens and Hall chasing Dolan around the city of Boston while Dolan tries to clear his name.

Once the set-up gets going, this film is riddled with clichés. Nivens is a typical villain with no moral compass. Hall is a hackneyed reluctant villain who predictably grows a conscience. Meyers isn’t smart enough to act on his own conscience, which leaves only Dolan to clean up the mess the three have created. After an hour, I could see the plot and the payoff a mile away.

Then there’s Neeson, doing his best to be the action hero. It’s been more than a decade since “Taken” (2008), and he’s certainly showing his age. He can run, kick and punch only so much, and whenever he does, it seems more than a bit forced. But to his credit, he’s mastered the art of an elderly hero.

This film epitomizes unmemorable, mindless entertainment. Nobody will remember it a year from now because there’s nothing substantive to remember. But if you ask me whether I’d recommend the film, I’m compelled to answer yes so long as you’re looking for a decent escape for 100 minutes.

Sure, the endorsement is lukewarm, but finding mindless entertainment isn’t as easy as it seems.

I should know. I’ve sat through all 107 painful minutes of Bruce Willis’ “Death Wish” (2018).