Today’s quick review: Catch .44. Tes (Malin Akerman), Kara (Nikki Reed), and Dawn (Deborah Ann Woll) travel to a remote diner to intercept a drug deal on behalf of their boss Mel (Bruce Willis). When the meeting time comes and goes with no sign of the driver, they decide to hold up the diner to get some answers. But the standoff is interrupted when Ronny (Forest Whitaker), an unstable killer, tries to get in on the score.
Catch .44 is a crime drama about three women trying to get back in their boss’ good graces after a disastrous mistake. What looks to be a second chance soon turns into another catastrophe when a simple hold-up goes awry. Catch .44 aims to be a stylish crime movie in the vein of Pulp Fiction or True Romance. The setup of the movie has potential, but its execution leaves much to be desired, with a jumbled plot, weak dialogue, and flat stylization.
Catch .44’s main issue is its lack of context. The story starts in media res with Tes, Kara, and Dawn holding up the diner, then fills in the details one flashback at a time. The problem is that the movie focuses on the wrong details. Instead of fleshing out how Tes and her friends messed up the last job or who Mel actually is, Catch .44 spends its time on how Tes got to the diner, what Ronny has been up to, and aimless conversations.
Moreover, the nonlinear storytelling means that Catch .44 is always late giving the audience a reason to care. The twists are tied to information that has not been revealed yet, forcing the movie to play catch-up. The movie tries to paper over these holes with stylistic flourishes: jaunty music choices, character introductions, and cliffhangers. But without a strong hook to keep the audience’s interest, all of these devices fall flat.
Catch .44 has genuine potential. The suspicious job that immediately goes wrong, the wildcard of Ronny’s involvement, and the acting abilities of Bruce Willis and Forest Whitaker could easily be the foundation of a solid crime movie. But the execution falls short almost everywhere it counts, leaving the best features of the movie without proper support. Dedicated fans of the crime genre may want to try it, but most will want to steer clear.
For a much more successful take on the same formula, try Pulp Fiction, True Romance, or Reservoir Dogs. For a stylized crime thriller in the same vein with more sex, violence, and black humor, try 68 Kill. For a darker crime thriller about a criminal sent to a remote area on an unknown mission, try The Bag Man. For a more interesting take on small-town crime, try No Country For Old Men, Fargo, or Cut Bank.
[4.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1886493/). I give it a 5.0 for passable ideas and a story that never comes together.