Finding Steve McQueenis a 2019 Americanheistthriller filmdirected byMark Steven Johnsonand written byKen Hixonand Keith Sharon. The film starsTravis Fimmel,Rachael Taylor,Forest Whitaker,andWilliam Fichtner,telling the story of a gang planning to steal millions of dollars fromPresident Nixon's illegal politicalslush fund.It was released in the United States on March 15, 2019, byMomentum Pictures.[1]The film is based on theUnited California Bank robbery.
| Finding Steve McQueen | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mark Steven Johnson |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | José David Montero |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Victor Reyes |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Momentum Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $21,905 |
Plot
editIn 1980, Harry James Barber tells his story about the California bank burglary he committed eight years ago to his girlfriend Molly Murphy, whose relationship is under strain after discovering his secret.
In 1972, Harry lives above a refurbished theater house in Pennsylvania and is a big fan of actorSteve McQueen.Harry had agreed to the plan led by the handler Enzo Rotella of burglarizing the bank supposedly containing the illegalslush fundof PresidentRichard Nixon.The team is joined by Paul Callahan, Raymond Darrow, and Harry's brother Tommy Barber - a Vietnam War veteran.
The gang travels to California and rents a vacation house not far away from the bank. Harry meets the widow Molly Murphy at a bar, whose husband was killed in a vehicular accident. Harry and Molly happily develop their relationship, but he hides his secret about his scheme from Molly throughout the relationship. At night, the gang disables the alarm system, and enters the bank vault by blowing a hole into the vault roof with dynamite. After three days of burglary, they successfully loot about $9 million overall; however, Harry receives only $10,000, and the rest of the team go their separate ways. After the burglary, the bank job has become public knowledge and FBI agents Howard Lambert and Sharon Price take the case. After a thorough investigation, they eventually locate the vacation house linked to the job and manage to identify the culprits through fingerprints left on unwashed dishes and utensils. All members of the gang are subsequently arrested by the authorities, except Harry who escapes and goes on the run.
In 1980, Harry tells Molly that he is done running from the law and he had called her father, a sheriff, to arrest him. As they get out from the diner, Howard and the local sheriffs arrive and Harry kisses her goodbye before being brought to the detention. The epilogue states that Harry was sentenced to seven years in prison but is reduced to three years after the letter from the Sheriff was signed by the townspeople to attest to Harry's character.
Cast
edit- Travis Fimmelas Harry Barber
- Rachael Tayloras Molly Murphy
- William Fichtneras Enzo Rotella
- Forest Whitakeras Howard Lambert
- Lily Rabeas Sharon Price
- Louis Lombardias Pauly Callahan
- Rhys Coiroas Ray Darrow
- Jake Wearyas Tommy Barber
- John FinnasW. Mark Felt
Production
editPrincipal photographyon the film began in early September 2016 inAtlanta,Georgia.[2][3]
Scenes were filmed inDallas, Georgiain early October.
Reception
editBox office
editFinding Steve McQueengrossed $21,950 at the box office.[4]
Critical reception
editOn thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,46% of 28 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Finding Steve McQueen's title invites thoughts of old-school action classics, but this energetic heist picture is disappointingly thrill-deficient. "[5]Metacritic,which uses aweighted average,assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[6]
References
edit- ^Mancuso, Vinnie (February 25, 2019)."'Finding Steve McQueen' Trailer Pulls Off a Presidential Bank Heist ".Collider.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^"Forest Whitaker's 'Finding Steve McQueen' Atlanta Open Casting Call".projectcasting.com.August 29, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 18,2016.
- ^Mink, Casey (September 5, 2016)."Atlanta Now Casting: Forest Whitaker's 'Finding Steve McQueen' and More".Backstage.RetrievedSeptember 18,2016.
- ^"Finding Steve McQueen".Box Office Mojo.IMDb.RetrievedAugust 26,2024.
- ^"Finding Steve McQueen".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.RetrievedAugust 26,2024.
- ^"Finding Steve McQueen".Metacritic.Fandom, Inc.RetrievedAugust 26,2024.
