Summary
- Travolta and Davis showcase fun chemistry as a bold power couple with a twist in
Cash Out
. - Haas adds reliable comedy to the heist flick, setting up potential sequels in this entertaining film.
- Expect formulaic fun with some twists, lighthearted moments, and familiar faces in this crypto-themed crime caper.
Don't you hate it when your ex is the hostage negotiator? That's just one of the pickles John Travolta's career-criminal persona faces in Cash Out, a new B-movie offering from Saban Films that's out this week. With perhaps his finest film to date, Pulp Fiction, just celebrating its 30th anniversary, Vincent Vega has already been in the news as of late, and it's fun seeing him back in action for more criminal antics alongside fellow veteran actors Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) and Lukas Haas (Babylon).
Bonus points if you're already a fanatic of heist movies, perhaps even with some knowledge of the ever-evolving crypto space. Cash Out features additional familiar faces beyond its three stars and benefits from quick pacing. If you don't expect Oscar-winning content here, you might just have a ball checking this one out.
Cash Out (2024)
3/5
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- Director
- Ives
- Runtime
- 1h 30m
- Writers
- Dipo Oseni , Doug Richardson
- Travolta and Davis' chemistry is fun to watch
- Solid setup for future installments
- Haas is reliably comical
- Formulaic and predictable
- Could have benefitted from some actual violent shootouts
A Modern Take On the Heist Genre
Like all promising heist flicks, Cash Out commences with a job gone wrong. Yes, it's all pretty formulaic stuff, but seeing veteran performers Travolta and Kristin Davis playing a sort of power couple (with a twist) is rewarding enough. They're well-dressed crooks out on a job to steal a fancy car or two, but when Amelia (Davis) reveals her true detective colors to Mason (Travolta), he flees and resorts to a quiet life on a remote lake seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
We leap forward in time, and that's when younger brother Shawn (Haas) tracks down Mason and, of course, has a job in mind to get him back in the game. We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us, as it goes. We all know where this is going, but there are some fun little twists and turns along the way, in terms of just how Mason finds himself getting sucked back into the suck — and by "suck," we mean "life of dangerous crime," of course.
No spoilers here, but one thing leads to another, and Mason is back in civilization. More specifically, a bank vault with his airhead brother Shawn, who claims he knows exactly where a ridiculously wealthy cryptocurrency wallet is being kept. They've taken bank teller Georgios (Swen Temmel) hostage, a seemingly harmless guy who's really bad at keeping a straight face. One can't help but laugh, in his defense, at these two grown men bickering with each other about how they're in over their heads for a job whose prize money is, of course, nowhere to be found. "I swear, it was supposed to be right here!" says Shawn again and again, in some form or another throughout the unnerving second act.
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For some lighthearted comic relief, hip-hop fans will appreciate seeing Quavo on the big screen as Anton, a.k.a. Shawn's big-mouthed colleague who's in charge of keeping the increasingly terrified hostages inside the bank at ease. Another familiar face here is longtime character actor Noel Gugliemi (Bruce Almighty) as fellow thief Hector, who is also in charge of keeping heavy artillery aimed at innocent bank customers. The only reason this movie is rated R is because of these guys' constant expletives.
The real thrills come from Mason communicating with his ex-girlfriend Amelia, who formerly posed as his lover for two long years as a literal partner-in-crime while actually working undercover with the feds to build an epic case against him. Their flirtation over the phone sends Amelia into disarray, as Mason entices her with "let's get outta here" kinds of plans after all this.
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These poignant plots reminded us that the heist film is still one of Hollywood's most enjoyable genres.But in the meantime, he needs "50 feet" of perimeter around the bank and pizzas delivered for the hostages while Mason's dopey brother Shawn tries to track down just where exactly the money behind the targeted crypto wallet is located inside the facility. Anyone out there who's equally puzzled as to how exactly this digital currency works might just laugh out loud watching these veteran thieves try to navigate the futuristic space.
As Haas recently told MovieWeb, Cash Out 2 is already in the can, and frankly, we're not surprised. Sure, it's straightforward, somewhat predictable, and formulaic stuff, but Travolta bickering with crooks and exes about "knocking the hustle" in this digital age can be pretty darn entertaining at times. Davis was the sleeper favorite on Sex and the City, and it's a hoot seeing her back in action, even if her Amelia persona is slightly less scandalous than the infamous Charlotte York. Emphasis on "slightly," since she still has some tricks up her sleeve here. Watch out!
From Saban Films, Cash Out will be released in theaters, on demand, and on digital Friday, April 26.
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