Masterminds 2016

     This film is based on the true story of a 1997 Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery in Charlotte, North Carolina with $17.3 million in cash stolen.  David Ghantt and Kelly Campbell work together driving an armored vehicle with millions of other people’s money.  They feel like they have a monotonous life and Kelly gets fired.  She starts hanging out with Steve Chambers and his friends.  Steve comes up with a plan to have David steel money since he has a key.  David thinks Kelly will meet him in Mexico and Steve will evenly split up the money.  David packs a van with $17 million in cash but he is caught on one of the security cameras.  He hands the money over to Steve but receives only a small payout.  David doesn’t know that Kelly doesn’t plan to fly to Mexico to be with him. 

     The characters are not masterminds at all!!  They are lucky if anything they do goes even a quarter right!!  Steve Chambers has made up his mind that he will hold onto the money and then he starts a massive spending spree.  Once the FBI and Interpol get involved with the case, everyone starts running around and making many mistakes.  I wonder if the real criminals did anything shown in this film?  3* This movie is OK)

95 min, Action directed by Jared Hess with Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Ross Kimball, Jason Sudeikis, Devin Ratray, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Jon Daly, Ken Marino, Daniel Zacapa.

Note:  Imdb 5.8 out of 10, 33% critic 36% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 3.8* out of 5* with 359 reviews, The Guardian 1* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Asheville, Franklin, Waynesville, Swannanoa, Arden and Old Fort, North Carolina; Fajardo and Naguabo, Puerto Rico.  Jim Carrey was to play David but he dropped out.  There is a real David Ghantt and he made a cameo at the end of the film as a hostage.  The release date was postponed from 8/2015 to 11/2015 after Relativity Media was in financial trouble.  The film was canceled indefinitely when Relativity Media filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  There is another film with the same name but a different plot from 1997.