The Code

The Code_360P

All of the following apply to this piece of dross: Infantile and at times incomprehensible plot. Actors walking their way through roles without an exception. A heist movie with so little time devoted to the planning and execution it could have been developed in grade school. Shame on Freeman and Bandaras for being involved with this tripe A cop revealing himself with not a hint beforehand. People put in jeopardy without the least hint that there is something else going on. Mainly things happen like a jackhammer in this movie There,s more going on in breaking a piggy bank than in this break in. All and all a vast waste of money and time and a blacklist on actors who are obviously in it for the money.

A careful plan...goes to perfection... An art gallery heist goes to perfection...flawless planning that would take weeks to prepare gets done in a matter of days. Permits to drill in a subway tunnel, all the right computer and electronics gear is readily available, everybody knows the right moves for the person at the time they have to be where they should be and nothing goes off track...wow... Was it entertaining? Yes, it was... Was it realistic? Certainly if you know every move on the planet of every person who would be in your way or needs to help you out. Timed to the second - every time...what a brilliant concept... Ah well, that's the glory of Hollywood.

How can a film with so many headliners blow it so bad? I have almost always enjoyed these actors in everything else, but this was predictable, boring, and just plan lazy on the part of production, essentially one of the worst big name heist film I've seen. My question what was the budget on this thing? It had the feel of a corny family comedy film, without the comedy or the family friendly language. So I guess that just leaves corny. If this is what Hollywood is moving toward, maybe they don't deserve my entertainment budget dollars. I have to agree with everything in I_John_Barrymore_I's comment, well said.

This was a fun movie. It had some interesting characters. Most people watch movies to have fun and this movie was fun. Sometimes people expectations for a good movie is too high. Think of this movie as one of the best straight to video heist movies. True it is no Italian Job or Ocean's Eleven but not all movies have to be. The movie has interesting characters, good actors who do good acting in the movie and a good twist at the end. It is an all out fun movie to watch, plus it has some good humor. You shouldn't go into this movie with high expectations since it is a low budget, straight to video movie. This is one of the better straight to video movies. So you shouldn't judge this movie so harshly. It is nice to see Antonio Bandres in a movie again you just don't see him in movies now a days. So sit back and relax and I hope you enjoy the movie.

I actually enjoyed watching this thriller. The problem is that you come across some scenes that makes you feel like an idiot. The plot misses that spark of ingenuity. For instance; you guess what is gonna happen in the next 10 minutes; and it happens!!! I think this is not only because of bad writing, but also because the script is full of clichés. If you have some spare time to kill and don't mind an uninspired plot. Go ahead; it might amuse you. Don't be fooled by the actors and expect anything better. By the way isn't it interesting that Morgan Freeman kinda accepts any script? He must be really lucky that really good ones find him too. For Antonio Banderas; there is not much to do. But wait for a Wrestler like a come back or not...

I think Morgan Freeman is a really good actor, and that's the main reason why I wanted to watch this movie. I also usually enjoy heist films, so i figured I would enjoy this movie. Boy, was I wrong! The plot line of this movie barely makes any sense. The characters are not interesting in the slightest way. The heist itself had no suspense. The ridiculous "romance" between Antonio Banderas' character and the blonde Russian woman is not engaging, believable, or even essential to the story line. It's as if the producers of this film got Freeman to sign on for it, and THEN began writing the movie. Totally retarded! Also, visually it looked like a made for cable movie. The lighting was off in a weird way, and the scenery showed parts of New York and then mysteriously some Eastern European city patched in. If you enjoy suspense movies, or good dramas, or good acting I suggest you avoid this movie. It is a major disappointment.

*Spoilers* I have seen more disappointing films. But only a few. It's sad to see an actor with as great a reputation and back catalogue as Freeman (minus "Wanted"!) be so let down by the script and the rest of the cast. Clearly Freeman's in it for the cash as others have suggested, but whilst this dilutes the art of cinema, let's not kid ourselves into thinking that we wouldn't do exactly the same if a few months putting up with the frankly ridiculous Banderas would land us another few million in the bank. Banderas is, it's been said, dire. At 49 (at the time of release) he is far too long in the tooth to be playing the young buck and far too fatherly to be the romantic interest. The 'romance' between his character and Freeman's mostly entertaining goddaughter feels sledge- hammered in as an afterthought, and the less said about the distinctly awkward and far too fleshy sex scene (not as bad as "The Thomas Crown Affair") the better. The wannabe-Usual-Suspects 'twisty' plot, whilst surprising, is just too clichéd for words. The worst thing is that by the time it comes to the twist you've already ripped out enough of your hair to no longer care if Freeman were to suddenly pull of a mask and reveal himself to be the goddaughter in disguise. I was mildly surprised that Banderas' declaration of "I'm a cop" was not met with "So am I" from Freeman... The 'heist' is laughable in its simplicity, and the fact that the so apparently wonderful vault can be breached with a simple wire tap, a cake, a piece of plastic food wrap and a few minutes of trial and error actually feels quite insulting - not to mention Freeman's ever- present magic iPhone! The policemen leave a lot to be desired, particularly the woefully overblown "Feds", as do the sketchy melange of Eastern European accents masquerading as an apparently believable crime cartel. The one saving grace is that Freeman's voice is at least a joy to listen to - even if the entire script seems to be cobbled together by lines which were rejected from the script of a bottom shelf Van Damme rip-off. It could have been worse, but only by being longer - and at least it is honest from the outset that its a formulaic heist thriller.

While I can understand why talented actor Robert Forster (who looks somewhat ghastly here, like he's coming off a major illness) is appearing in a direct-to-video movie (at least in North America), I don't understand why Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas are doing in a direct-to-video movie. Surely they are still getting calls from major studios? Did they really need the money? Anyway, they bring their natural charisma to this movie... but not much more. Freeman doesn't seem to be trying very hard in his performance, and Banderas doesn't watch his accent, making some of the words he says hard to figure out. The production values are mostly very decent, a trademark of direct-to-video kings Millennium/Nu Image Films. Although this set-in-New-York film was partially filmed in Bulgaria, it doesn't show. The only flaw in the production values was the CGI used in the subway sequences. It looks pretty cheesy. The heist central to this movie has some tension, but I found it hard to get involved. For one thing, many of the steps the Freeman and Banderas characters use to foil the various security measures are never fully explained to the audience. Even worse is that it's implied that this heist was planned in JUST A FEW DAYS! Seeming all these security measures they have to conquer, it would really take weeks, even months to plan! The movie is never really boring, but in the first half of the movie you can kind of guess what will happen in the next scene. There are twists towards the end, but they are expected, as in other caper movies like this one. Such twists happening are no longer a surprise. Plus, as they start to unfold, you will start to guess just what new twists will happen. Wait until it comes on cable... on a rainy day... when there's absolutely nothing else to do or watch.

Well, this is a movie that has you anticipating. Literally, even after it ends you still have the feeling that some moments have been left behind. Scenery is somewhat patched - shots from Bulgaria's Supreme Court building, airport and streets, mixed with NYC. Actors' play is at top notch, but there may be some elusive disappointment that the plot didn't develop characters fully, didn't end the way we want to end and so on. Primarily, a story about thieves thieving, some complicated lying, some sex, some features, some plot of grand thefts, and that's it. I actually didn't like this movie. Not because it is bad, but only because it wasted the actors' potential for playing the full extent of their roles.