I like low budget films as much as anyone. The only stipulation is that the film in question needs to be at least… well… good. Story is everything. It can win out over acting, sets, special effects… you name it. But when the story isn’t even that good, I have to wonder how a film even got made. Recently I checked out a new crime thriller called “Heist.” I remembered there was another movie with that name a few years back with Gene Hackman, but it was evident within the first few minutes that this “Heist” wasn’t going to come close to being as good. “Heist”, which was directed, executive produced by and stars Rick Jordan deals with the street gangs of Los Angeles and their ties to Columbian Drug Cartels. As far as I can tell, the film is about two brothers, Erik (Erik David) and K (Rick Jordan) who get caught in the crossfire when Erik’s best friend David (Tim Aslin) double crosses the head of said Drug Cartel.

As events go from bad to worse, K has to go to great lengths to save his brother... going so far as to rob an armored car… in broad daylight… on a busy Los Angeles street.

I always like to give low budget films the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes if the intent to make a good movie is there I can forgive a lot. But “Heist” was all over the place. The plot was very simplistic, yet hard to follow (which I know is ambiguous… but you have to see it to understand). The editing was questionable, which is what made it very hard to follow. And not only was it hard to follow, it was often hard to swallow. Characters got back up after beat downs and falls that should have sent people to the hospital. I can accept this in a sci fi flick, but not so much when the story is supposed to be more ‘real.’

Even the acting was very uneven. And again, I don’t always expect the best acting in films like these. After all, they can’t afford to do 20 takes of a scene to get it just right. They have to go with what they have. But here it didn’t seem like any takes would have been just right. I just couldn’t buy into any of the performances. Even the scariest of characters I felt I could take in a dark alley.

That said, the new DVD from Echo Bridge offers as good a transfer as could be had. The cinematography wasn’t the best and it shows. The sound mix was a bit better, but still nothing to write home about. There are no extras on this disc, yet I actually wish there were. Some interviews or commentary might have given me some insight into what the filmmakers were trying to do or maybe why they made some of the choices they made. I might not have needed to be so harsh on the final product. But they gave me nothing to go on.

“Heist” offers a little action, a little sex and a little gunfire... but not much more...

Directed by: Rick Jordan & Richard Cooper
Starring: Rick Jordan, Christian Mendez, Erik David
Extras: None
Specification: Widescreen
Studio: Echo Bridge
Release Date: 2/9/2010
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.echobridgehe.com

We'll give Heist a D.