It is a reality, cinematically acknowledged, that one doesn’t mess with Liam Nesson. This is a lesson that two corrupt cops study approach too late after they double-cross Nesson’s character in Honest Thief (2020), a style outing from the motion star launched in 2020.
Directed by Mark Williams (the creator of Netflix’s Ozark), Honest Thief revolves across the eponymous character, essayed by Nesson, who decides to steer away from his previous life however quickly realizes that redemption from the previous doesn’t come simple. While the movie options an all too acquainted narrative prevalent in Nesson’s earlier ventures, it nonetheless manages to be a tightly scripted action-thriller with ample style thrills.
This article dwells on the movie’s ending whereas addressing some main plot threads within the narrative. As regular, a SPOILER ALERT for individuals who haven’t checked out the flick but.
Honest Thief (2020) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
Honest Thief revolves round Tom (Liam Nesson), a proficient thief who has robbed twelve banks in seven states of the nation, taking in a whopping sum of 9 million {dollars}. Labeled by the media because the “In-and-Out Bandit” (because of his leave-no-trace fashion of theft), Tom drifts from one state to the opposite, evading the eyes of the regulation.
One day whereas at a storage facility, Tom meets Annie Wilkins (Kate Walsh), the receptionist on the facility and an aspiring psychologist. Romance blossoms between the 2, though Tom moderately hides his previous as a legal from Annie and tells her he works as a safety-lock repairer. After relationship for a 12 months, Tom realizes that Annie is the love of his life and proposes to her to maneuver in with him at their new home.
When she agrees, Tom realizes that he should wash off his shadowy previous if he’s to start afresh with Annie. Following a lot deliberation, Tom books a lodge and calls the FBI, confessing to them that he’s certainly the “In-and-Out Bandit.” He agrees handy himself in and guarantees to pay again each penny he has stolen—however he places forth a situation. Since he has willingly turned himself over to the FBI, Tom needs for a decreased sentence of two years inside Boston and with full visitation rights (in order that Annie can come to fulfill him frequently).
FBI Agents Sam Baker (Robert Patrick) and Sean Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan), who’re on the opposite finish of Tom’s name, take his claims with a pinch of salt. Already been led astray by pretend callers claiming to be the “In-and-Out Bandit,” Baker and Meyers imagine Tom to be one other fake caller. Despite this, Baker orders two younger brokers, John Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Ramon Hall (Anthony Ramos), to go and meet Tom on the lodge. Nivens and Ramon interrogate Tom and feign suspicion about his grandiose claims, particularly because the cash is nowhere to be seen.
Tom offers them the important thing to the storage unit, the place he stacks his money. Nivens and Ramon go to research the storage room and are bowled over to seek out the cash within the room. Tempted by the astounding quantity, Nivens means that he and Ramon steal the cash, as nobody would imagine Tom’s phrases over theirs. Ramon is hesitant however offers in to the provide to safe the way forward for his youngsters. Just as the 2 brokers are leaving, Annie manages to catch their footage within the safety cameras, however each are in a position to evade her suspicion by claiming to be Tom’s mates.
Nivens and Ramon then proceed again to the lodge the place Tom is staying. In a twist, Nivens reveals his true intentions of killing Tom by making it appear to be a police encounter. Just as he’s about to shoot Tom to demise, Agent Sam seems, foiling his plan. Before Tom can expose Nivens and Ramon to Sam, Nivens shoots Sam to demise. Tom manages to overpower the duo and escapes with Annie, who arrives on the lodge concurrently.
When Agent Meyers seems on the scene together with his staff, Nivens and Ramon conjure up a false story of Tom capturing Sam. This renders Tom a fugitive, placing his and Annie’s life at stake as they’re violently pursued by Nivens, Meyers, and the remainder of the police pressure.
Why Did Tom Become A Thief In The First Place?
While the movie spells out Tom’s occupation early on, the rationale behind his selecting a lifetime of crime will not be revealed till later within the narrative. As they’re escaping from the cops, Annie confronts Tom about mendacity to her about being a high-profile thief. It is right here that Tom divulges his darkish previous that rendered him a bank-robbing kleptomaniac. Tom reveals that in his time as a marine within the conflict, his mom died of pneumonia.
Following his mom’s demise, Tom’s father grew depressed, which in the end led him to be fired from his job as a welder at a pipe-manufacturing firm. Worse of all of it, the CEO of the corporate denied his father the pension. Already depressed and unwilling to legally problem the corporate, Tom’s father suicidally drove his automobile into an oak tree. Angered by his father’s demise, Tom robbed the financial institution the place the CEO stored his cash.
After this exploit, Tom realized that he acquired a thrill from making an attempt these heists, which gave him an adrenaline rush and made him really feel alive. However, assembly Annie reciprocated the identical feeling of liveliness, main Tom to cease his thrill-seeking escapades.
How Does Tom Manage To Take Down Nivens and Ramon?
Well conscious of the truth that the regulation won’t ever imagine him over the phrases of two FBI brokers, Tom goes into hiding whereas placing Annie on a bus to New York. However, the very subsequent day, Tom will get a shock when Annie reveals that she by no means left for New York however is as an alternative within the storage facility to retrieve the footage of Nivens and Ramon taking the cash.
Just earlier than Annie can escape with the reminiscence card containing the footage, she is cornered by Nivens, who violently smashes her head onto the desk after a scuffle. Ramon is baffled by his accomplice’s brutality and manages to quietly sneak the reminiscence card into his pocket with out Nivens wanting.
Thinking Annie is useless, Nivens and Ramon determine to go away the scene. Tom arrives moments later and admits Annie to the hospital. Horrified by the violence inflicted on his accomplice, Tom decides to take issues into his personal hand and decides to go after Nivens and Ramon.
Why Does Ramon Have A Change of Heart?
Agent Ramon, who had been reluctant to affix the plan because the starting, begins to have qualms about his affiliation with the cold-blooded Nivens. Soon after, Ramon is violently ambushed by Tom at his home, with the latter pinning Ramon to the bottom. Ramon breaks down and divulges that he gave in to the greed of buying 9 million {dollars}, but it surely was by no means his intention to harm anyone in the course of the course of. Ramon additional mentions the footage from the safety unit and fingers it over to Tom.
How Does Tom Bring Down Nivens?
Despite having the footage, Tom is conscious that merely having footage of Nivens transferring a field wouldn’t persuade the FBI. He as an alternative decides to threaten Nivens into confessing by exploding his home with do-it-yourself bombs. A cussed Nivens refuses and heads to the deserted home the place he has stacked the cash.
Nivens calls Ramon for help, and the latter turns up on the home however with Tom. Nivens is exasperated by his accomplice’s betrayal and shoots him to demise. After a sequence of gunshots, Nivens wounds Tom within the stomach with a bullet and escapes with the cash.
Thinking that he has succeeded, Nivens fortunately drives away. But in a remaining twist, Tom calls Nivens, informing him that he had positioned a second bomb beneath his automobile seat.
The bomb, which is stress delicate, would explode if Nivens tried to get out of the automobile. A horrified Nivens has no alternative however to attend for the bomb squad to return and defuse Tom’s bomb. Unmasked because the assassin answerable for the demise of Baker and Ramon, Nivens is lastly arrested by Agent Meyers.
Honest Thief (2020) Ending, Explained:
What Happens To Tom In The End?
In the movie’s climax, Annie visits Agent Meyers on the precinct, asking if he would go simple on Tom since he not solely confessed to his robberies but additionally helped the FBI in unmasking Nivens. Meyers agrees to place ahead his greatest phrase for Tom. Suddenly, Meyers receives a name from Tom, who turns up on the station to show himself in, simply as he had initially envisioned. It is inferred that Tom will serve his required sentence for the financial institution robberies whereas Annie will await his launch.
Director Mark Williams has said how he at all times wished to do a movie about ‘second chances.’ While Honest Thief exhibits that redemption will not be at all times a straightforward journey, it’s undoubtedly a path value charting—and the movie’s optimistic finish is a testomony to its titular imaginative and prescient of being ‘honest,’ even if you’re a thief!
Read More: The 15 Best Steven Soderbergh Movies, Ranked
Honest Thief (2020) Trailer:
Honest Thief (2020) Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia
Honest Thief (2020) Cast: Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney
Where to look at Honest Thief
