Armored (film)
Encyclopedia
Armored is a 2009 American crime
thriller film directed by Nimród Antal
, written by first-time screenwriter James V. Simpson, and starring Matt Dillon
, Jean Reno
, Laurence Fishburne
, Amaury Nolasco
, Milo Ventimiglia
, Skeet Ulrich
, and Columbus Short
. It was released on December 4, 2009.
), an armed service veteran, is now an employee of Eagle Shield security, as a member of one of their many armored car transport teams. Now the legal guardian of younger brother Jimmy (Andre Kinney), the Silver Star recipient struggles to make ends meet. In a bar after an armored car prank heist played on Ty, his co-workers recount several historical attacks on armored cars. It is explained that Ashcroft (Fred Ward
), their immediate supervisor, was once involved in an ambush, becoming the only survivor as he single-handedly killed 5 assailants. This story was topped by "a better" one of an armored car jacking in '88, where the guards surrendered the funds they were escorting in order to avoid the killing of a fellow guard, concluding in the safety of all members and escape of the hijackers. The thieves were never caught, and the crew speculates that the escort team staged the attack. After constant letters to foreclose on his home, Ty finds himself in need of additional money to help make ends meet. While contemplating this, Ty is approached by Mike Cochrane (Matt Dillon
), his godfather and co-worker, who has devised a plan to steal money being transferred from the Federal Reserve to the local banks, but Ty turns down the offer. Upon arriving home that evening, he finds a social worker who explains that Ty's younger brother has missed most of the school year, and that the lack of proper care has forced the state to consider placing Jimmy in a foster home.
The following morning, after receiving assurances from Mike that no one will be hurt, Ty reluctantly agrees to participate in the heist
. The six-person crew are dispatched as normal in two trucks to collect $42 million, or $7 million each, from the Federal Reserve, and after a radio check-in with their superiors the plan is set into motion by driving to an abandoned steel mill
located in a radio dead-zone after pick up. Here the team begins to unload the money for storage, intending to collect the cash after the heat from the heist dies down. The group offloads the first truck, but their plan is compromised when a homeless man living in the mill is spotted observing them. Because the man has seen too much, a chase ensues and an armed guard, Baines (Laurence Fishburne
) shoots him. Ty tries to take the injured man to the unloaded truck, but as he attempts to do so, Mike kills the man, stating that he had no choice. Upset over this, Ty barricades himself inside the truck with the remaining $21 million inside. After an attempt to flee in the truck fails, Ty sets off the truck's alarm, which catches the attention of a local sheriff's deputy, Jake Eckehart (Milo Ventimiglia
).
To turn off the siren, Cochrane pulls out the fuse to the engine, disabling the vehicle, but not before Jake draws closer due to the noise of the siren. Meanwhile, out of anger, the remaining thieves devise a plan to break into the truck by knocking the pins out of the door hinges, which will allow them to remove the doors. Jake arrives, and Mike stops him before he enters the mill, claiming to be a security guard. Just as Mike convinces Jake to leave, Ty successfully restores power to the truck's alarm, which blares immediately. In reaction to the plan being compromised, Baines shoots Jake, seriously injuring him. While the thieves are distracted, arguing over what to do, Ty uses kerosene and a flare in the hideout hole containing the $21 million. It flares up, while the thieves run over to the stash, with the $21 million engulfed in flames, Ty seizes the opportunity and grabs Jake and puts him in the truck that he hid in earlier. Ty reassures Jake, calms him and applies first aid. The remaining guards continue to work on the door of the truck to get in and kill Ty and Jake. Dobbs (Skeet Ulrich
) begins to have second thoughts about the operation, and agrees with Ty to make an attempt to get the fuse Mike removed from the engine. He retrieves the fuse, but is caught trying to put it back in to the engine. As Dobbs begs for forgiveness on not being able to continue with the plan, he asks Palmer (Amaury Nolasco
), to reassure him that the other men would not harm him. The rest of the thieves signal Palmer to murder Dobbs. Palmer keeps his promise not to let the other men hurt Dobbs and stabs Dobbs to death himself.
As the thieves continue their attempts to remove the hinges
from the door, Ty discovers that the floor of the truck has a removable panel. Covering the windows inside with the remainder of the $21 million, Ty removes the panel, and takes Jake's radio to the roof to get better reception. Ty contacts the authorities, but Palmer catches him before he can return to the vehicle. They exchange words as Ty attempts to convince Palmer that what they are doing is not right. Palmer finally asks Ty if he thinks God will forgive him, and jumps off the building, killing himself. Before deputies arrive, the remaining thieves reveal a kidnapped Jimmy and demand that Ty open the truck. Ty complies, and Quinn (Jean Reno
) and Baines head for the money; however Ty has rigged the money case with a booby trap
, which detonates upon opening. The explosion destroys the money and kills both Quinn and Baines. Ty has Jimmy look after Jake while he runs to get help.
Mike, who was injured during the blast, chases after Ty in the working armored truck, while Ty tries to direct authorities to the scene in the deputy's car. After the car becomes disabled from ramming, Ty flees on foot with the surviving truck in pursuit. The truck crashes into a pit in the plant, which results in Mike's death. Later, Ty is seen in the hospital
waiting room while a recovering Jake is debriefed by authorities and Ashcroft. Ashcroft approaches Ty, stating that there's talk of a reward, implying that Jake spoke about his efforts in the foiling of the thieves. With Jimmy also being released from the hospital, Ty and Jimmy now go home.
.
A.O. Scott, in a The New York Times review, wrote that the Hungarian director, Nimród Antal
, "has an old-fashioned, functional style. [...] He has made an unabashed B movie: basic, brutal and sometimes clumsy, but far from dumb, and not bad at all". The film doesn't minimize the seriousness of killing and conveys a bleak outlook on economic blight "with quiet passion and conviction", Scott wrote. The cinematography of Andrzej Sekuła (whose work also appears in Reservoir Dogs
and Pulp Fiction
) helps capture that mood, according to Scott.
The film was "accidentally" released by Sony on PlayStation Network for free, though it was pulled after an unspecified amount of time. The movie was issued while it was still showing in theaters, and although the mistake was eventually spotted, it is thought to have been downloaded thousands of times before the error was fixed.
Region 1
Anamorphic widescreen
and Blu-ray disc
Region A formats on March 16 of 2010.
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
thriller film directed by Nimród Antal
Nimród Antal
Nimród E. Antal is a Hungarian American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Life and career:...
, written by first-time screenwriter James V. Simpson, and starring Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
, Jean Reno
Jean Reno
Jean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the...
, Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
, Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco Garrido is a Puerto Rican actor, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the television series Prison Break, and for his role in Transformers.-Early life:...
, Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Anthony Ventimiglia is an American television actor best known for his role of Peter Petrelli on the TV series Heroes...
, Skeet Ulrich
Skeet Ulrich
Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
, and Columbus Short
Columbus Short
Columbus Keith Short, Jr. is an American choreographer, actor, and singer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman...
. It was released on December 4, 2009.
Plot
Ty Hackett (Columbus ShortColumbus Short
Columbus Keith Short, Jr. is an American choreographer, actor, and singer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman...
), an armed service veteran, is now an employee of Eagle Shield security, as a member of one of their many armored car transport teams. Now the legal guardian of younger brother Jimmy (Andre Kinney), the Silver Star recipient struggles to make ends meet. In a bar after an armored car prank heist played on Ty, his co-workers recount several historical attacks on armored cars. It is explained that Ashcroft (Fred Ward
Fred Ward
Freddie Joe "Fred" Ward is an American actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. He is best known for his starring roles in the motion pictures Remo Williams, Tremors, Henry & June, Short Cuts, The Right Stuff and Exit Speed...
), their immediate supervisor, was once involved in an ambush, becoming the only survivor as he single-handedly killed 5 assailants. This story was topped by "a better" one of an armored car jacking in '88, where the guards surrendered the funds they were escorting in order to avoid the killing of a fellow guard, concluding in the safety of all members and escape of the hijackers. The thieves were never caught, and the crew speculates that the escort team staged the attack. After constant letters to foreclose on his home, Ty finds himself in need of additional money to help make ends meet. While contemplating this, Ty is approached by Mike Cochrane (Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
), his godfather and co-worker, who has devised a plan to steal money being transferred from the Federal Reserve to the local banks, but Ty turns down the offer. Upon arriving home that evening, he finds a social worker who explains that Ty's younger brother has missed most of the school year, and that the lack of proper care has forced the state to consider placing Jimmy in a foster home.
The following morning, after receiving assurances from Mike that no one will be hurt, Ty reluctantly agrees to participate in the heist
Heist
A heist is a term used to describe a robbery from an institution such as a bank or a museum, or any robbery in which there is a large haul of loot.Heist in fiction may refer to:*Heist , directed by David Mamet...
. The six-person crew are dispatched as normal in two trucks to collect $42 million, or $7 million each, from the Federal Reserve, and after a radio check-in with their superiors the plan is set into motion by driving to an abandoned steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
located in a radio dead-zone after pick up. Here the team begins to unload the money for storage, intending to collect the cash after the heat from the heist dies down. The group offloads the first truck, but their plan is compromised when a homeless man living in the mill is spotted observing them. Because the man has seen too much, a chase ensues and an armed guard, Baines (Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
) shoots him. Ty tries to take the injured man to the unloaded truck, but as he attempts to do so, Mike kills the man, stating that he had no choice. Upset over this, Ty barricades himself inside the truck with the remaining $21 million inside. After an attempt to flee in the truck fails, Ty sets off the truck's alarm, which catches the attention of a local sheriff's deputy, Jake Eckehart (Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Anthony Ventimiglia is an American television actor best known for his role of Peter Petrelli on the TV series Heroes...
).
To turn off the siren, Cochrane pulls out the fuse to the engine, disabling the vehicle, but not before Jake draws closer due to the noise of the siren. Meanwhile, out of anger, the remaining thieves devise a plan to break into the truck by knocking the pins out of the door hinges, which will allow them to remove the doors. Jake arrives, and Mike stops him before he enters the mill, claiming to be a security guard. Just as Mike convinces Jake to leave, Ty successfully restores power to the truck's alarm, which blares immediately. In reaction to the plan being compromised, Baines shoots Jake, seriously injuring him. While the thieves are distracted, arguing over what to do, Ty uses kerosene and a flare in the hideout hole containing the $21 million. It flares up, while the thieves run over to the stash, with the $21 million engulfed in flames, Ty seizes the opportunity and grabs Jake and puts him in the truck that he hid in earlier. Ty reassures Jake, calms him and applies first aid. The remaining guards continue to work on the door of the truck to get in and kill Ty and Jake. Dobbs (Skeet Ulrich
Skeet Ulrich
Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
) begins to have second thoughts about the operation, and agrees with Ty to make an attempt to get the fuse Mike removed from the engine. He retrieves the fuse, but is caught trying to put it back in to the engine. As Dobbs begs for forgiveness on not being able to continue with the plan, he asks Palmer (Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco Garrido is a Puerto Rican actor, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the television series Prison Break, and for his role in Transformers.-Early life:...
), to reassure him that the other men would not harm him. The rest of the thieves signal Palmer to murder Dobbs. Palmer keeps his promise not to let the other men hurt Dobbs and stabs Dobbs to death himself.
As the thieves continue their attempts to remove the hinges
Hinges
Hinges may refer to:* Hinges, Pas-de-Calais, France* Hinges , an Andy Partridge album...
from the door, Ty discovers that the floor of the truck has a removable panel. Covering the windows inside with the remainder of the $21 million, Ty removes the panel, and takes Jake's radio to the roof to get better reception. Ty contacts the authorities, but Palmer catches him before he can return to the vehicle. They exchange words as Ty attempts to convince Palmer that what they are doing is not right. Palmer finally asks Ty if he thinks God will forgive him, and jumps off the building, killing himself. Before deputies arrive, the remaining thieves reveal a kidnapped Jimmy and demand that Ty open the truck. Ty complies, and Quinn (Jean Reno
Jean Reno
Jean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the...
) and Baines head for the money; however Ty has rigged the money case with a booby trap
Booby trap
A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
, which detonates upon opening. The explosion destroys the money and kills both Quinn and Baines. Ty has Jimmy look after Jake while he runs to get help.
Mike, who was injured during the blast, chases after Ty in the working armored truck, while Ty tries to direct authorities to the scene in the deputy's car. After the car becomes disabled from ramming, Ty flees on foot with the surviving truck in pursuit. The truck crashes into a pit in the plant, which results in Mike's death. Later, Ty is seen in the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
waiting room while a recovering Jake is debriefed by authorities and Ashcroft. Ashcroft approaches Ty, stating that there's talk of a reward, implying that Jake spoke about his efforts in the foiling of the thieves. With Jimmy also being released from the hospital, Ty and Jimmy now go home.
Cast
- Columbus ShortColumbus ShortColumbus Keith Short, Jr. is an American choreographer, actor, and singer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman...
as Tyler "Ty" Hackett - Matt DillonMatt DillonMatthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
as Mike Cochrane - Jean RenoJean RenoJean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the...
as Quinn - Laurence FishburneLaurence FishburneLaurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
as Baines - Amaury NolascoAmaury NolascoAmaury Nolasco Garrido is a Puerto Rican actor, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the television series Prison Break, and for his role in Transformers.-Early life:...
as Palmer - Milo VentimigliaMilo VentimigliaMilo Anthony Ventimiglia is an American television actor best known for his role of Peter Petrelli on the TV series Heroes...
as Off. Jake Eckehart - Fred WardFred WardFreddie Joe "Fred" Ward is an American actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. He is best known for his starring roles in the motion pictures Remo Williams, Tremors, Henry & June, Short Cuts, The Right Stuff and Exit Speed...
as Duncan Ashcroft - Skeet UlrichSkeet UlrichBryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
as Dobbs - Andre Kinney as Jimmy Hackett
Reception
The film was not screened in advance to critics. The film received mixed reviews, getting a 40% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
A.O. Scott, in a The New York Times review, wrote that the Hungarian director, Nimród Antal
Nimród Antal
Nimród E. Antal is a Hungarian American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Life and career:...
, "has an old-fashioned, functional style. [...] He has made an unabashed B movie: basic, brutal and sometimes clumsy, but far from dumb, and not bad at all". The film doesn't minimize the seriousness of killing and conveys a bleak outlook on economic blight "with quiet passion and conviction", Scott wrote. The cinematography of Andrzej Sekuła (whose work also appears in Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs is an American crime film marking debut of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It depicts the events before and after a botched diamond heist, but not the heist itself. Reservoir Dogs stars an ensemble cast: Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and...
and Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
) helps capture that mood, according to Scott.
The film was "accidentally" released by Sony on PlayStation Network for free, though it was pulled after an unspecified amount of time. The movie was issued while it was still showing in theaters, and although the mistake was eventually spotted, it is thought to have been downloaded thousands of times before the error was fixed.
Home media
This movie was released as Armored on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
Region 1
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
Anamorphic widescreen
Anamorphic widescreen
Anamorphic widescreen, when applied to DVD manufacture, is a video process that horizontally squeezes a widescreen image so that it can be stored in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio DVD image frame. Compatible playback equipment can then re-expand the horizontal dimension to show the original widescreen...
and Blu-ray disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
Region A formats on March 16 of 2010.