Today’s quick review: Marauders. Jeffrey Hubert (Bruce Willis), the president of a national chain of banks, comes under fire when a violent crew of robbers begins targeting his banks. Special Agent Montgomery (Christopher Meloni) of the FBI takes over the investigation from Sergeant Mims (Johnathon Schaech), a crooked Cincinnati cop. But as he digs deeper into the case, Montgomery learns that Hubert is involved in a much larger conspiracy.
Marauders is an action thriller about a series of bank robberies with an ulterior motive. Marauders places emphasis on its plot. The investigation takes Montgomery and his team (Adrian Grenier, Dave Bautista, and Lydia Hull) through the remains of a years-old conspiracy, uncovering puzzle after puzzle as they dig for the truth. The movie’s expansive mystery, moment-to-moment thrills, and solid pacing make it fine choice for the right viewer.
However, Marauders’ main shortcoming is that it is too complicated for the type of story it is trying to tell. Instead of a streamlined investigation with one or two red herrings and a carefully prepared twist, Marauders tries to manage a sprawling conspiracy that involves numerous characters, hidden motives, and coincidences. As a result, the pieces never combine into a compelling whole, and the movie’s best ideas have no room to breathe.
Marauders is a serviceable pick for fans of the action genre. The action scenes are adequate, the mystery is interesting enough to drive the plot, and the cast does a fine job with the material they are given. Still, Marauders has a lot of missed potential when it comes to streamlinging its plot, and it faces stiff competition from other movies in the genre, making it a hard sell for more exacting viewers.
For a bank robbery action thriller in a similar vein, try Den of Thieves, Triple 9, or Takers. For a more personal crime drama about a bank robbery, try The Town. For a bank job with a smarter plot, try Inside Man. For an action thriller with a better conspiracy, try Shooter. For a more powerful cat-and-mouse game, try Law Abiding Citizen.
[5.5 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3963816/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a decent plot that doesn’t quite come together.