Back in 2003, a big budget movie called SWAT starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson was released. Naturally, it was terrible, but it revolved around a SWAT team traveling it an armored car escorting a major drug lord. Armored is an upcoming movie that involves a team of some type, also escorting something, this time being $42 million. SWAT was the first movie that came to my mind when I saw the Armored trailer. I’m not saying this will scrape the bottom of the barrel, like SWAT did, but Armored has had the displeasure of being delayed. It was originally going to be released in September, but was later pushed to December. It’s not always a good thing when a movie is delayed, but Shutter Island was also pushed back from October to mid-February as well and Martin Scorsese directed that. Zodiac would be an example of a movie that was delayed, but still came out perfectly well, so hopefully this won’t hurt Armored’s cause.
"This is my 'Kubrick' face. What do you think?"
Ty Hackett (Columbus Short, Stomp the Yard) is a young security guard who is about to lose his house to the bank. He works with a crew of guards delivering money in an armored car. When the company denies Ty more hours, he is short on cash and will most certainly lose his house. Plans change when a veteran guard named Cochrane (Matt Dillon, Crash) tells Ty that he and the other guards plan on stealing $42 million in cash they’re going to escort. Ty initially wants nothing to do with it, but wants to save his house. He goes with the plan, just as long as no one gets hurt. While stealing their armored car, they drive to an abandon factory to collect the money. Things change when the guards shoot a police officer (Milo Ventimiglia, “Heroes”) and leave him for dead. Ty disapproves of the idea, creating friction among the group when he tries to help the officer. Ty soon barricades himself into one of the armored cars with the money and injured cop. He must devise a plan to escape with the armored car full of money before the crooked guards can get to him.
The movie co-stars Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Jean Reno (Couples Retreat), Amaury Nolasco (“Prison Break”), Fred Ward, (Management) and Skeet Ulrich (Chill Factor). Armored is directed by Hungarian director Nimrod Antal, whose previous work includes the horror film, Vacancy. He will also direct the upcoming sequel to the Predator series called Predators. James V. Simpson wrote the screenplay and this will be his debut project.
"Go ahead and scoop up the burned, trashy dollar bills we've worked so hard for. I'm outta here."
I’m not too excited by the trailer, but I’m sure it will deliver the goods of an action/crime film. It features a host of good actors in Dillon, Fishburne and Reno and Antal’s presence should give it a boost as the film was a big push toward him being named director of the already anticipated Predators.
Armored opens December 4th.
