VAGUE SPOILERS - NOTHING DETAILED OR CONCRETE GIVEN AWAY
Flypaper is essentially about a bank robbery where 2 sets of thieves stumble into the same bank at the same time causing a dilemma and confusion between everyone. One group is comprised of 3 professionals that come prepared with high tech equipment and skill, Darrien, Gates & Weinstein & the other consists of 2 goofy hicks who go by the nicknames Peanut Butter & Jelly who lack the intelligence & experience that the other group possesses. Hilarity and hijinks ensue as the 2 sets of criminals need to work together to control the hostages as they simultaneously try to steal money from the bank. However, all is not as it seems as people, including the robbers end up dying & it is revealed that it's no coincidence that those 2 sets of thieves showed up at the same bank at the same time - they were set up by another bank robber who is also in the bank and there might be other robbers hidden amongst the group as well who were planning on stealing money.
At one point, the two sets of robbers are arguing about who has better street cred and to settle the score go on a website that ranks the most wanted bank robbers. This is where we are shown the names of some top thieves, thieves whose profiles conveniently don't have pictures attached (just a missing photo question mark). Two top robbers, Vicellus Drum (#1) & Alexis Black (#3) are mentioned aloud which of course had me immediately assuming they were in the bank masquerading as hostages - whether I was supposed to pick up on that or not I don't know. I'll just say that I figured out right away who Alexis Black was so when that twist about her was revealed, I saw it coming a mile away. The identity of Vicellus Drum, however, was a solid mystery. By the way, why would I assume there were more robbers in the bank than the initial ones? It's revealed early on that the system was down for about 2 minutes & someone said aloud that they were surprised that more criminals didn't show up to rob the place after it was revealed that the tech man who controls the bank's security system was selling the information about it being down around. It was a big red flag.
Overall, the movie is funny and clever and most definitely entertaining but my main gripe, a huge hole I just couldn't suspend my belief for.. was the fact that no matter what went on inside the bank, no one outside seemed to be aware and certainly no one called the police. At the very beginning when the robbers first storm the bank, the silent alarm is hit but doesn't work. This is said clearly on screen by the employee trying to set it off. However, throughout the course of the movie there were numerous, loud, bombastic gun fights - no less than 200 bullets were fired from all different types of guns: rifles, shotguns, handguns, etc.. which of course incited lots of screaming. There were also four humongous blasts that created fireballs & did major structural damage to the bank (2, maybe 3 of which were detonated with C-4 / 1 a big gas explosion) yet apparently NO ONE on the street outside or in the surrounding buildings called the cops or heard anything which is just so moronic that it makes my head hurt. This was not a bank in the middle of a rural farmland in Kansas with the closest town being a mile away. This was a bank on a normal city street with a sidewalk full of people right outside the front door and neighboring businesses right next to the bank. How did no one hear the earth shattering bombs that were going off inside the bank? How did no one hear the gunfire that was booming inside? I kept waiting for someone from law enforcement to at the very least knock on the front doors & was wondering how the robbers would deal with it but that never came. I'm willing to suspend belief for a movie but this was just impossible to ignore & definitely downgraded the film for me.
6/10 It wasn't fantastic but it was worth one watch. Lastly, I want to point out that the acting is very strong from everyone in the movie especially Pruitt Taylor Vince & Tim Blake Nelson's bumbling, doofy Peanut Butter & Jelly & Patrick Dempsey's Tripp who is a neurotic, overly stimulated, gifted man with lots of quirks. The characters are fun to watch.
Flypaper is essentially about a bank robbery where 2 sets of thieves stumble into the same bank at the same time causing a dilemma and confusion between everyone. One group is comprised of 3 professionals that come prepared with high tech equipment and skill, Darrien, Gates & Weinstein & the other consists of 2 goofy hicks who go by the nicknames Peanut Butter & Jelly who lack the intelligence & experience that the other group possesses. Hilarity and hijinks ensue as the 2 sets of criminals need to work together to control the hostages as they simultaneously try to steal money from the bank. However, all is not as it seems as people, including the robbers end up dying & it is revealed that it's no coincidence that those 2 sets of thieves showed up at the same bank at the same time - they were set up by another bank robber who is also in the bank and there might be other robbers hidden amongst the group as well who were planning on stealing money.
At one point, the two sets of robbers are arguing about who has better street cred and to settle the score go on a website that ranks the most wanted bank robbers. This is where we are shown the names of some top thieves, thieves whose profiles conveniently don't have pictures attached (just a missing photo question mark). Two top robbers, Vicellus Drum (#1) & Alexis Black (#3) are mentioned aloud which of course had me immediately assuming they were in the bank masquerading as hostages - whether I was supposed to pick up on that or not I don't know. I'll just say that I figured out right away who Alexis Black was so when that twist about her was revealed, I saw it coming a mile away. The identity of Vicellus Drum, however, was a solid mystery. By the way, why would I assume there were more robbers in the bank than the initial ones? It's revealed early on that the system was down for about 2 minutes & someone said aloud that they were surprised that more criminals didn't show up to rob the place after it was revealed that the tech man who controls the bank's security system was selling the information about it being down around. It was a big red flag.
Overall, the movie is funny and clever and most definitely entertaining but my main gripe, a huge hole I just couldn't suspend my belief for.. was the fact that no matter what went on inside the bank, no one outside seemed to be aware and certainly no one called the police. At the very beginning when the robbers first storm the bank, the silent alarm is hit but doesn't work. This is said clearly on screen by the employee trying to set it off. However, throughout the course of the movie there were numerous, loud, bombastic gun fights - no less than 200 bullets were fired from all different types of guns: rifles, shotguns, handguns, etc.. which of course incited lots of screaming. There were also four humongous blasts that created fireballs & did major structural damage to the bank (2, maybe 3 of which were detonated with C-4 / 1 a big gas explosion) yet apparently NO ONE on the street outside or in the surrounding buildings called the cops or heard anything which is just so moronic that it makes my head hurt. This was not a bank in the middle of a rural farmland in Kansas with the closest town being a mile away. This was a bank on a normal city street with a sidewalk full of people right outside the front door and neighboring businesses right next to the bank. How did no one hear the earth shattering bombs that were going off inside the bank? How did no one hear the gunfire that was booming inside? I kept waiting for someone from law enforcement to at the very least knock on the front doors & was wondering how the robbers would deal with it but that never came. I'm willing to suspend belief for a movie but this was just impossible to ignore & definitely downgraded the film for me.
6/10 It wasn't fantastic but it was worth one watch. Lastly, I want to point out that the acting is very strong from everyone in the movie especially Pruitt Taylor Vince & Tim Blake Nelson's bumbling, doofy Peanut Butter & Jelly & Patrick Dempsey's Tripp who is a neurotic, overly stimulated, gifted man with lots of quirks. The characters are fun to watch.