In Basic Bandits, writer, director, and star Chris Diamond leads a delightful little Soderberghian heist comedy that is as polished and professional as any Ocean’s 11 or Lucky Logan, with a great score and style that’ll make you wish it went for longer than 14 minutes.
Wade (Seth Park) and Thatcher (Chris Diamond) rock up to their buddy Holiday’s (Chris Munch) house to learn of a crime worth committing. Seems our boys have the chops to pull off this armed lift and shift situation involving a USB drive containing data worth serious cash. The fellas pull this off, and they’ll be moving up in the world. Being able to live beyond their current branding as the Basic Bandits.
“The boys spitball who they might need to help them get in and get out quickly…”
The boys spitball who they might need to help them get in and get out quickly at this greasy pawn shop with the drive. Going down the list of usual suspects, they finally land upon Iris (Caroline Rice), who, though still pissed at Thatcher for his ungentlemanly conduct on a prior job, agrees that knocking over the store’s idiot manager, Ron (Jacob Hightower), and zipping off with the item is something she knows how to do.
And the job is mostly smooth running until an unexpected altercation threatens to bring down the curtain on the big dirty. Like the cyclops in Odyssey, our capering criminals must trick Ron before the loot, which will lead them to the land of riches and respect for organized crime, can be theirs for the taking.
Basic Bandits are sharp, classy, cool, and visually dynamic to the point where, when the end comes, you just want to go back to the beginning and watch it again. Applause all round to Mr. Diamond and his collaborators and cast. Crime may not pay, but Basic Bandits is worth doing time over.
"…sharp, classy, cool and visually dynamic..."
