How to Rob

How To Rob is a wonderful Massachusetts made independent film that explores the friendship between two childhood buddies that met under an unlikely circumstance. The story takes chaotic avenues to illustrate the lengths both friends (Sean and Jimmy) will go to protect one another no matter who ends up getting in their way. Writer and Director Peter Horgan provides a smart, original, raw, and appropriately timed comedic script for his two main leads, Joshua Koopman and Chinaza Uche, who deliver authentic and memorable performances from start to finish. The film is further fueled with an amazing soundtrack that feels appropriate and complimentary to the story and setting. A very promising debut feature from Horgan that undeniably has replay value.

When I rented this tonight this movie had a NINE rating! I figured it must be a real sleeper and great. Uh, NO!

I'll say the acting was excellent but I was totally lost on the story or what point the writer was trying to make with the ending! I was expecting some funny, some action, and some silly buddy/buddy moments. These dudes are BASKET CASES and more emotional than the average woman. I didn't like either character. It seemed like they were some petty thieves but the next thing you know they are the Dillinger gang! It just didn't make any sense to me and I rooted against them both.

It's not unwatchable but it was definitely not enjoyable.

I'm not going to go into detail and have to worry about spoilers but I'll leave it at not one character acted in a fashion that you would think given the character development as it were in the movie. Everybody did stuff that was stupid and out of character. I still can't figure out why anyone was after them in the first place. They just never explain it fully. Just a bunch of circumstances that don't fit together.

And the ending.... Don't get me started.

A poignant, beautifully-filmed story that is as much about male relationships as it is about crime. The subtle, yet gut-punch sociology in the writing is matched by the direction and the cinematography.** Having read about this film, and knowing it was produced on a micro-budget, this is a screenwriter and filmmaker who will soon have Hollywood knocking on his door. The skeptics and purists might notice the sacrifices made here and there due to budget constraints, but these sacrifices were wise choices that indicate a sharp use of resources. In reality, that this film is at the level it is considering what this team had in terms of financing, is indicative of genius behind the camera.

I'm a fan of indie film and especially noir but I hit a big snag with the casting. One of two main characters, the guy who played Jimmy and Corky, the guy playing his little brother, both just didn't fit the part at all. Both those guys seemed to me better suited for comedy. Needless to say they spoil the mood completely. And Corky's mom was a bad stereotype.

I say this as someone from Boston who has some familiarity with this element, having grown up with guys who did this kind of thing.

I have to give them credit for doing a decent job with the Boston accents. That's something that's apparently very difficult for Hollywood to accomplish.

The two thugs playing the bad guys were OK, althouygh they tried to hard at times, but that may have been the writing, hard to tell.

Five stars is a stretch given that at no point did I get caught up in the story. It's just ok overall.

Remarkably well done for an independant film. Sometimes the lower budget productions bring the true authenticity many of us enjoyed in the late 80's and early 90's crime thrillers. This was clearly written and directed by a native to the region and Peter Horgan portrays that well with real accents, filming locations, and neighborhoods. Hollywood rarely has the ability to display what the crime underworld in the Boston region really is. They often misrepresent those realities with phony accents and bad acting. This was the opposite. Great acting and writing. The hitman Anthony Firicano stole the show and I hope to see more of his work. Well done to all involved.