Review of Steal

Introduction

Steal aka $teal aka 2-11 aka Extrême inconduite aka Heist aka Riders aka Team Riders. A film that has had this many titles/working titles isn`t off to a good start. It did get a limited cinema release in various parts, and was then picked up by various distributors for DVD release.

It`s another heist movie, but with a twist (everything has to have a twist now!) Our lovable rogue villains are all into extreme sports - rock climbing, free diving, roller blading (is that really extreme?) and base jumping. As with most movie villains, they have to pull one last heist before giving up the game for good.

The director is Gerard Pires, who directed the original version of Luc Besson`s Taxi, so you might have an inkling of what the film`s going to be like. It features Stephen Dorff, Natasha Henstridge, Bruce Payne and Steven Berkoff (playing yet another slightly deranged weirdo character). The "plot" is outlined up above.

Video

A 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, which is an unexpected bonus for a film that`s not done very well and is getting a budget DVD release. The colour scheme looks a little strange at times, but this is all intentional and is the work of French director Pires. The transfer looks pretty good overall, with no real problems to report.

Lots of nice action set pieces here, with some great driving stunts to please the eye.

Audio

A DD5.1 soundtrack which is a reasonable effort. This is a boom and bang job, with loads of action up on screen, and loads of action for your ears too. There are some good atmospheric sounds, and lots of nice effects during shoot outs and car chases. Plenty of sounds flying around the room, and an interesting mixture of songs on the soundtrack make for a good time for your ears.

Features

Just a couple of bits of PR fluff masquerading as featurettes and a few trailers. Nothing groundbreaking or insightful.

Conclusion

This film is a bit rubbish, but it`s also a bit of fun. There are some great stunts and action sequences, so if that`s your thing, you`ll enjoy those parts of the film. Just try not to concentrate too hard on all the bits in between, because it will spoil the experience. Most of the budget went on the stunts (like driving trucks on half their wheels, and crazy roller bladers zooming through the streets). Not much seems to have been spent on writing, storyline, plot, or even convincing characters.

But if you disengage the brain, you might just have a little fun with our enthusiastic villains. Try and ignore the ham sandwich that is Steven Berkoff, and the corrupted cliche cop played by Bruce Payne. Don`t scratch too hard at the surface of the plot, ignore the holes in it and have fun. It`s all about the thrill of the chase.

This disc itself is a reasonable effort for a budget title. A good video transfer and a nice little action soundtrack make the film watchable even if the plot doesn`t. If you fancy a bit of a no brain heist film, this might just be for you. Take brain out, rent film, watch film, put brain back in again. Can`t see anyone wanting to watch it over and over, but it`s a fun rental.