When one has access to tens of millions of dollars and believes that there is a foolproof chance of pocketing them without being caught, principles can undergo overnight alteration. In Armored, a group of guards who transport cash between banks in armored vans plan on pulling off a daring heist.
There’s just one problem. A major one. A temporary relationship of this sort formed for a specific purpose is very unstable. Thus, the situation is guaranteed to get volatile if and when the bells start singing. And as everyone knows, the alarm often does go off at some point, for nothing is known to always run according to plan.
In addition to the leader type and his head-nodding listeners, the gang comprises the two extreme characters that are potentially dangerous for any such kind of mission: the one who impulsively speaks with a gun and the one who listens to their conscience.
The script shows that bad circumstances coupled with a-seemingly-easy-chance-at-instant-riches can be a diabolic combination.
The sob part of the protagonist’s living conditions would have had some appeal if it had a factual base. It just seems silly that a man holding what surely is a high-paying job does not have the means to take care of a tiny house, himself, and his little brother.
Columbus Short, as Ty, wears his morals on his forehead. But that changes. Very soon, he begins to sweat profusely, fear burning in his eyes; and he displays the kind of survival skills that emerge when one is cornered and terrified. His acting is as dramatic as the rest of his team mates.
Also, he isn’t the only one who appears totally unqualified for this job. Important qualities such as focus, confidence, coolness, and composure are lacking in the others too. These fellows seriously lack in refinement and discipline, and hardly seem the type that can be trusted with so much cash. It looks like the government hired a gang of escaped convicts.
Blood and gunfire tries to make up for a proper script and acting. And most of this action takes place in one desolate setting. One could very easily have mistaken this for a low-budget indie flick if it wasn’t for the presence of the star cast.
Though it fails as a thriller, Nimród Antal’s crime drama manages to make a point: that the true test of toughness lies in the kind of decisions that one takes in a crisis and the manner in which one reacts and handles it.
