"Proof that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect crime'"

Imagine this.  Both of your parents have died.  You’ve left your job in the army, and moved back home in order to look after your rather delinquent younger brother.  On top of all this, you’re in real danger of losing the family home, as your 9-5 simply doesn’t cut it with the bank, and there’s no sign of any more money coming in.  It all sounds rather glum doesn’t it?  Unfortunately for Ty Hackett (played by Columbus Short, a young man who I am convinced we will be seeing more of in the next decade), this bleak landscape is in fact a harsh reality.

Desperation can make men do startling things.  So when your colleague and friend Mike (Matt Dillon) comes to you with a fool proof plan to steal $42 million, you’re going to think about it, and with the bank and Child Welfare closing in, suddenly you’re part of one of the biggest robberies in American history.

The problem with these foolproof plans is that they are never foolproof – there is no such thing as the perfect crime.  ‘Armoured’ follows the inevitable descent into anarchy as the crews perfectly laid plans unravel around them.  Predictably, our man Ty has a change of heart when the ‘victimless crime’ produces its first body, and the proverbial game of cat and mouse begins – will the increasingly ruthless ‘bad guys’ get their money, or will justice prevail – I’ll leave it to you to guess how it pans out.

‘Armoured’ is well put together, but not exactly ground breaking.  However, quite unusually for a film of its type, it strikes a poignant political and socio-economic chord.  Everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment, and for a while you almost want these normal, hard working citizens to get away with stealing the money – sympathising with their plight, and whether pre-meditated, or simply good fortune, the added sub-text gives the film the little lift it needs to lift it from banality.