User reviews

"It's not like someone's gonna go crying to the police about someone stealing their dirty cash." Vaughn (Morgan) is struggling financially and things get worse when his sick daughter is endanger of being taken off the transplant list if he doesn't have the money soon. He asks his former boss, a man known as The Pope (De Niro) for a loan and is denied. Left with no options he decides to take the money forcefully, but he didn't expect the getaway to get this out of hand. I had pretty low expectations for this movie, not for any reason but usually these B movies with famous actors tend to only have the big name in it for 5 minutes and the rest is boring and unexciting. This is a rare exception. De Niro has a fair amount of screen time and Morgan is in almost ever scene. The movie is both action packed and emotional. The best way to describe this is as a more intense John Q. A movie where you can't help but root for the father even though what he is doing is illegal. This is a very exciting movie to watch and I was surprised at the quality of it. It's easy to see why this wasn't a big release but as far as a straight to video movie this is one of the best ones I have seen. I recommend this. I give it a B+.

The formula could not have been more stereotyped: An ex-criminal (played by Jeffery Dean Morgan) gets his life together for his daughter who needs a quarter of a million dollar surgery. He ask his boss(played by Robert De Niro). His boss not only says no but fires him, leaving the ex-con no choice but to go back to his old ways and steel from his boss with the help of an inside man(played by Dave Bautista). The perfect plan goes horribly wrong and now they are being chased by a sympathetic, cop (played by Gina Carano).

It's a plot done a million times, but I have to admit, the characters on the screen are a little more in depth than you'd usually have in such an action thriller. Does not hurt that the characters were performed well by some decent talent. Even De Niro gave a good performance, as he usually phones in these "for the pay check" rolls, but he made me feel something for the character he plays. Though Bautista still needs some work on the dramatic stuff, Jeffery Dean Morgan has the charisma to keep you interested, and a nod to Morris Chestnut, who did put a nice twist on the henchmen concept he played.

So it's like if you combined Heat and Speed and then watered it down a butch, but overall, it was a good crime drama to watch.

The movie itself is very predictable. Even a twist is not that much of a twist, though it doesn't really make much sense if you think about it. But all is carried throughout the length of the movie, because you have some really strong actors in this. You can also question the morality of it and how it deals with certain things.

But it's just a movie and the characters may be plain (most of them), but that's why this isn't top rated either. It's a nice little thriller movie, which might think it's more than it is, but that's OK. It's better to set higher goals, than just aiming too low. Even with the misses and flaws, this still can be enjoyed

"Heist" a/k/a "Bus 657" offers strong performances and decent production values. The script has several strengths. The characters are interesting and multifaceted and the dialogue is good. The characters are given backstories and complex histories with one another, but those histories aren't developed sufficiently for the audience to understand some of the choices the characters make.

Some aspects seem contrived, such as the girl's critical illness and urgent need for surgery that somehow leaves her appearing healthy and rosy-cheeked, the hospital's ultimatum or the lack of other options like crowd-sourcing fundraisers. One plot device seemed much more appropriate in a 1990 Bill Murray comedy than a gritty action film. A feared gangster takes extraordinary steps to prevent anybody from ever imagine they can steal from him, but is robbed twice in a week. The casino seems to have less security for its cash than most casinos have on their alcohol.

One wishes filmmakers would take the time to do some rudimentary research. There are numerous images on Google of one million dollars in hundred-dollar bills. If half the money were in twenties, it would take up three times as much space. Used bills occupy possibly twenty percent more space than new bills. If a character runs around with a bag that's too small to hold the amount of money it's supposed to hold, people are likely to wonder where the rest of the money is.

The script has more holes than Emmentaler. At times the characters seem to act without any comprehensible motive. At other times, they have very real and believable motives. The script has a couple of nice twists, although they really need a better foundation than a brief allusion or quick background shot to make them seem believable. It would have been nice to get to know some of the passengers, particularly as they make choices that impact the outcome.

With a little more effort and development, it could have been a really good script. Strong performances by Morgan and De Niro and interesting turns by Bautista and Chestnut make the film a worthwhile viewing experience.

Firstly, I loved the majority of the cast and their actin was up to their usual standards, with one notable exception...Mark Paul Gosselaar. The only thing worse than his acting were the lines they gave him. The director should have spotted this and fixed it, so this is on both of them. Gosselaar's crew were equally bad in their dialogue. I was enjoying the film pretty much other than the one actor, until the ending which really was completely unbelievable and anticlimactic.

The plainly titled Heist is just that, a heist movie with cop-and-robber chase added to the mix. It's neither innovative as action movie nor does it have flamboyant group of thieves pulling off intricate steal. Its biggest assets are the actors who perform particularly well to make their characters that much more approachable. The relatively simple premise also works like slot machine, which the audience can just pull and roll with the result without overly complex build-up.

This is the story of Vaughn (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who is in need of cash for his sick daughter. Faced with desperation he meets up with Cox (Dave Batista) who has a plan of stealing from their own casino boss Pope (Robert De Niro). It's not an elaborate plan, in fact this might just be one of the shortest operations on heist movie.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan from Losers is a fitting choice for the main protagonist. He looks the clever yet disheveled type and the plot easily sets him as the desperate good guy. Robert De Niro has delivered his usual mafia boss performance, and still intimidating at that. The role is miles better than his recent gigs like in Last Vegas or Grudge Match.

Batista also rounds up the crew as the aggressive robber. It seems that they haven't found the perfect role for him, the mild manner support in Riddick and Guardians of the Galaxy or the silent henchman in Spectre are all right. However, he's more convincing as a villain here and it takes advantage of his large physique. The other cast like Gina Carano and Mark-Paul Gosselaar do a good job on their parts, which make it a modestly balanced cast.

The actors pretty much elevate the movie, which admittedly has average action element. It's much less in term of production value compared to other in thriller or heist genre, in fact some sequences fell lackluster or simply made from smaller budget. In addition of that, the story doesn't wrap up properly. It holds up pretty well with decent pacing, but in the third act it falls apart with rather illogical twists.

Heist is not excellent as action or crime drama, but the good cast successfully elevates it above mediocrity.

Great performances performances by DeNiro, Morgan and Bautista.

I feel some parts needed a little more 'oomph' as it felt dragged out a bit - a directing issue perhaps, by novice director Scott Mann, but forgivable seeing this was his 2nd full length feature film.

The screenplay could've used some tweaking, but the story itself was great - both by novice writer Stephen C. Sepher.

I just wish I heard less of the overbearing constant score that needed to be toned down, but otherwise, an enjoyable crime drama - a gangster film with heart, and a well deserved 8/10 from me

As a truly De Niro admirer you can always expect something good out of him in almost any of his films. Regardless of his weak and poor choices in recent years. And considering, this movie does not have the cast, script and directing excellence of better flicks like Heat (1995), Ronin (1998) or even The Score (2001) -following in the same line- I was surprise the movie was above expectations and gives you enough entertaining for the 93 minutes's experience. His character on this one is called "The Pope" and managed to show some "sprinkles" of his old electricity, magnetism and humanity of some of his best action- gangster roles. Just do not raise expectation high and try not to find De Niro's brilliant performances from the 90's and before. After all, you have a miscast of Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Marconi, the main cop), D.Batista (Cox, the tough guy)and Gina Carano (Kris, the female cop). A plot with some holes...but with a surprising unusual ending. And of course, an inexperienced Director. Maybe, Harvey Keitel as the leading cop and some Diane Lane as female cop would make a big difference. But that of course, would rise our expectations as well. By the way, J.D.Morgan (Vaughn, lead role) does a decent and believable performance...despite the fact it is also a miscast. Enjoy your popcorn, adjust expectations and you will be fine.

This is a rather typical action thriller starring a skinny Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Robert De Niro. Kate Bosworth is the 3rd pre-title name but she has a really small part in this.

Mixed martial artist Gina Carano is also present but underused here having only a few seconds of martial art. TV's Mark-Paul Gosselaar has also a surprise role and he is giving s good performance. That can't be said about De Niro who - despite the fact that his character has many layers - gives a sub-par and boring performance.

Anyway, as I said the plot is rather typical about a ...Heist, (obviously). There are some shooting and car chases and roadblocks, a couple of twists, a little bit of melodrama...

It's not bad. It gets better as it progresses and with a Hollywood type conclusion that most people will find satisfying, although somehow unbelievable.

Last decades have produced dozens of heist-related movies, some of even with the title (The) Heist, and a number of those movies are somewhat conceptional, with interesting turns and inclusion of character actors, e.g. Heat, Ocean Eleven, The Bank Job, Now You See Me, etc., thus the more recent ones could/should bring forth some new angles or elements, which is definitely a challenge. The movie in question has Robert De Niro and randomly witty use of flashbacks, but uneven script and unrealistic solution together with obvious references to famous heist and other action movies (e.g. Speed) make it just another brick in the wall in the line of them. Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Luke Vaughn is pleasant, but not stronger than De Niro - what the script anticipates, and other performances are just trivial, not bad, but just as you might expect. Due to the length and intensive ending, however, you can still watch with without blah! feelings.

So, the Heist is okay for those fond of action movies but not too familiar with those depicting similar topics/elements. For the rest, it is just a 1,5-hours killing time, with a few interesting twists, but with too many familiar or predictable scenes.

Was very excited when i firs the trailer and i though the movie will be good. After watching the movie i actually say it was a great movie it keep you in it also the vintage cop and robber pick up lines made my day.

The story is more like a Asian movie where people change just because of the present situation .. in the movie the dialog are fun and strong and always keep you waiting for other people reply not even for 1 sec the movie bored you and from start to end its all action , dialog , excellent acting and it keep you guessing.so its a must watch film for boys like me.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Vaughn (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is a low level worker at a casino on a boat, whose daughter is lying seriously ill in a hospital. He tries in vain to ask his boss, and organised crime figure, The Pope (Robert De Niro) for some help, only to be thrown out by The Pope's right hand man Dog (Morris Chestnut.) Vaughn hatches a plan with equally disgruntled employee Cox (Dave Bautista) to rob the vaults of the casino, which predictably doesn't go to plan, and results in a hijack drama on a city bus on the wild roads of Las Vegas.

Heist is another of those DVD premiere films De Niro does sometimes, in between appearances in larger scale productions. He seems to appear in 'pay the bills' films more often these days, ensuring an endless stream of work even at this later stage in his life and career. Good for him if he can still get it, and he can select more flavoursome roles like this. Scott Mann has taken a plot with familiar themes and jumbled it all together to create a superior DVD action film.

An all star cast all function respectively in a multi layered tale that's loaded with more red herrings than you might expect, and pays off more handsomely as a result. At times, it all feels a little too much and the story tries to explore too many angles and whacks us with too many surprises to keep up with, but on the whole, this really is quite a pleasant surprise. ***

My quick rating - 5,7/10. Better then your average heist type movie. The name basically describes what to expect. This movie uses a fairly creative narrative to tell the story of the actual heist while developing the characters as well. Surprisingly Batista as the heavy did a very good job in his role. As per usual, there is the double cross, etc. type stuff you have come to expect, so I cannot say much more without spoilers. All your staples are covered well being acting, cinematography, bit players. Overall the end is worth the trip to get to. If you are like me and finding unheard of movies (even though this has Deniro in it) this is a good find and well worth the watch.

Throw together a few bad-ass looking guys and you get a bad-ass movie? If only directing was that simple. This reeks direct to DVD; bad acting with little or no coherent dialogue, bad lighting with the classic 2008 fake lens flare, zero character development etc. The list goes on. These days Hollywood movies are sadly relying on statistics, stitching together parts and dialogue from films that once did well. De Niro hits rock bottom of wooden acting smoking Vapes whilst lecturing a millennial how in the future no one will know what a real cigarette tasted like. ZZzzzz. This film is the reason why people pirate movies. Period. Times is money, and you're about to loose some.

The film is carried out by a varied cast with several competent actors giving compelling interpretations through a twisted intrigue. Dealing with a father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is without the means to pay for his daughter's medical treatment. As a last resort, he partners with a greedy co-worker (Dave Bautista) and they attempt to rob a casino owned by the feared gangster Pope (Robert De Niro) who's assisted by nasty henchman (Morris Chesnut). When things go awry they're forced to hijack a city bus. Vaughn and Cox are forced to flee on foot and hijack city Bus 657 and take the passengers hostage. Happenings go awry and a shootout ensues. Never make a bet you can't afford to lose !. Hang on for dear life !.

This nail-biting film contains action, thriller, suspense, blood , and is plenty of graphical violence. The plot is a crossover between ¨John Q¨ and the filming techniques were influenced by ¨Speed¨ and the ¨Tournament¨ by Scott Mann himsef, the latter also packs a breathtaking bus chase. The film displays strong and realistic events and excellent action sequences with bloody attacks, blistering struggles and special effects laden flick with violent events. The highlights of the film are the enjoyable relationship that's established between the peculiar characters, as well as the impressive and unstoppable pursuits-crashes between a bus and the pursuers. Scott Man is responsible for this exciting action thriller about a heist that gets enormously complicated. With the occasional script twist, the film has a solid cast, headed by the veteran Robert De Niro who had already starred in some robbery films such as the successful ¨Heist¨ by Michael Mann. And Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who is the authentic protagonist, an actor who knows how to make the audience's hair stand on end, as he has played one of the most chilling villains in ¨Walking Dead¨series. Among the supporting cast, another well-known face: Mark Paul Gosselaar from ¨Saved by the Bell¨, but who had not appeared in the big screen for 14 years. And other attractively familiar actors, such as Kate Bosworth, Gina Carano, Morris Chestnut, Lydia Hull, D. B. Sweeney. And Dave Bautista stands out as a hunk and powerful guy. As trivia, it should be noted that the story about a casino looting was filmed in Alabama, a state where gambling is prohibited by law and the police you see in the film are the real police from Mobile, Alabama, who provided a rolling roadblock so we drove up and down the freeway constantly for days .

It contains a thrilling and appropriate musical score by James Edward Barker and Tim Despic, mostly composed by means of synthesizer. As well as atmospherically adequate cinematography by Brandon Cox, shot on Mobile, Alabama, and San Pedro, Los Ángeles, California. This lavishly produced motion picture was well directed by Scott Mann. He's an action expert directing some succesful films with plenty of spectacular set pieces , violence , thrills and twisted intrigues , such as : ¨The Tournament¨, ¨Fall¨, ¨Down Amongst the Dead¨ , ¨Final Score¨ and this ¨Heist¨. Rating : 6.5/10. The flick with appeal to Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Robert De Niro fans.

You would think that a film with the title Heist in it would be all about that. Instead we get a simple robbery that does not go as planned and where three gang members end up on a bus. And where they are forced to keep the passengers hostage.

As intriguing as this sounds it gets downhill from here. Most events are predictable to a tee apart from a few surprises that do help redeem this flick somewhat. But seriously with a cast like this I can't but help to be disappointed. With names like Robert De Niro, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Dave Bautista, Gina Carano, Morris Chestnut, D. B. Sweeney, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Kate Bosworth I expected a little more. Not much but come one what we got from this film is almost unacceptable. The only reason why I kept watching is because of the sincerity of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character. He only is involved since he needs the money for his daughter's surgery who has cancer. I am a sucker for that kind of melodrama especially if some of the main characters sell it well. I am not entirely sold on Gina Carano yet but I liked her part in this. For me it was far better than her role in breakthrough film Haywire. All the other actors are wasted. What happened to Robert De Niro? Why is he still acting? It does not seem like he is enjoying himself. He hasn't brought his A game in a long while now and it does not look he is going to very soon. It's almost embarrassing to see him like this. At least we were spared that 50 Cent was not involved.

Most of the film plays out as you expect and the action is decent enough but nothing really special. For a film with a duration of 90 minutes it feels like it takes forever. This is due to lack of real tension and build up of suspense. How can it be if director Scott Mann plays it safe and goes for the ending everyone can live with.

This is one of those movies that is decent enough when it is on television. I don't think this is worth seeing in theaters or watching on DVD or bluray.

De Niro made some amazing movies decades ago, along with nothing extraordinary during the past twenty or so and let himself dragged into a lot of flops. I expected a total failure from "Heist (2015)". Which was not.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays an almost believable character, just the script put him on a wrong wavelength. For a realistic movie, his character is way out of this world.

One last bad thing, movie has a twist and unfortunately an intuitive one, so little replay value here.

Enough criticism, all from here is uphill. Characters are well defined, not too long described to bore you, just enough to see why the good guys are good and how really bad are the bad guys. Movie is packed with quality action, make no mistake. Action unroll smoothly, keeps you interested until the end.

Which brings me to the reason I wrote this review. The end is GOOD. And I mean really good. Everything builds up and gives you the "A-HA!!" satisfaction all good movies should bring you, is excellently timed and has the benefit of intelligent viewer anticipation technique, basically delivers the most desired ending, if totally unrealistic.

This movie is a pure action movie, with a twist, with an emotional package, with a great ending and good acting.

Nothing to remember in 2025, true, but I would recommend it to anybody on a Friday night.

'Heist' works best as A Decent Crime-Thriller, that delivers racy entertainment. Don't go looking for a miracle & you will be rewarded, especially if you like fast-paced films.

'Heist' Synopsis: A father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is without the means to pay for his daughter's medical treatment. As a last resort, he partners with a greedy co-worker (Dave Bautista) to rob a casino, which is owned by a Gangster (Robert De Niro). When things go awry, they're forced to hijack a city bus.

At 90-Minutes, 'Heist' is well-paced & never drags itself. Of course, the Writing is predictable & a sub-plot involving De Niro's estranged daughter (A Royally Wasted Kate Bosworth), appears unwanted. Luckily, some of the thrills work in here & the climax, does leave a mark.

Stephen Cyrus Sepher & Max Adams's Screenplay is decent, though predictable. Scott Mann's Direction is fine. Cinematography is alright. Editing is crisp. Action-Sequences are effective.

Performance-Wise: Jeffrey Dean Morgan is in excellent form, delivering a forceful performance from start to end. De Niro has portrayed a part such as this a number of times before & hence, he appears monotonous. Dave Bautista does well. Gina Carano deserved a meatier role.

On the whole, 'Heist' is an easy one-time watch.

I don't need to restate what everyone else has said about this movie being terribly written, unintelligent, and essentially a ripoff of every other heist movie in existence.

What I will say is that Jeffery Dean Morgan is clearly trying his best. He is the only one, aside from Kate Bosworth who also seems to care at least slightly. Robert De Niro seemed to realize his lines would come across stupid no matter his effort, so he fully phoned it in. Bautista apparently only knows how to portray Drax, only this time he's not funny.

The two standouts (in a bad way) in my mind: Mark-Paul Gosselaar somehow manages to be more unlikable than usual. He's an "actor" the same way Heist is a "movie." Gina Carrano is listed on IMDB as an actress, who apparently has had other roles in her career, which I can only assume is some major oversight. Maybe she has dirt on some unfortunate producer somewhere. I haven't seen such a flat, lifeless performance since the latest CSI cadaver.

Don't waste your time with this trash fire/blatant cash grab.

Just terrible. Avoid. Was a disgrace to previously well done thrillers that involved buses.