Today’s quick review: 211. Chesterford, Massachusetts, erupts into violence when a team of mercenaries decides to take their last paycheck out of the local bank by force. Officer Mike Chandler (Nicolas Cage) stumbles on the robbery in progress, sparking a massive shootout. Mike must find a way to get himself, his partner and son-in-law Steve MacAvoy (Dwayne Cameron), and their teenage ride-along Kenny (Michael Rainey, Jr.) out of the line of fire.
211 is a budget action movie about a bank robbery gone wrong. Two police officers and a high school student wind up pinned down in the parking lot of the bank, unable to get to safety. The movie officers a fair amount of action when the plot finally gets moving, pitting a small-town police department against five heavily armed robbers. But even if the action works, the story as a whole doesn’t, leaving 211 outclassed in a crowded genre.
211 has many of the flaws of other low-budget movies. The plot is needlessly jumbled, the body count climbs higher than the scope of the movie would suggest, and the dramatic arcs never really hit home. The acting also disappoints, with only Nicolas Cage and Michael Rainey, Jr. really pulling their weight. Even then, the characters aren’t as well-developed as they’re meant to be. No single flaw is crippling, but taken together they hurt the film.
211 also has far more setup than it needs. The movie laboriously steps through every aspect of the story before the action starts. The plot threads include the mercenaries’ assassination of their previous employer, an investigation by Interpol, a bank manager’s wedding anniversary, Steve becoming a father, Mike’s strained relationship with his daughter, and Kenny’s troubles at school. The result is a convoluted build-up for relatively little payoff.
Still, for all its faults, 211 has enough action to keep fans of the genre entertained. The back half of the movie is one protracted shootout. While there are no major plot twists to spice it up, the amount of gunplay and the direness of the situation give the movie some weight. Give 211 a shot if you’re interested in budget action movies and aren’t too particular about storytelling quality. Skip it if you’re looking for a fulfilling whole.
For a better Nicolas Cage action movie, try The Rock, Face/Off, or Snake Eyes. For a bank heist with a more intelligent plot, try Inside Man, Dog Day Afternoon, or The Bank Job. For an outgunned local cop against a team of trained professionals, try Hard Rain. For a more flawed, more endearing budget action movie, check out Checkmate or 4Got10.
4.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.5 for decent action held back by some crippling flaws.