A terrifically clichéd heist film, "Armored" brings together a great ensemble cast playing clichéd / stereotyped roles, notably (along with an "Armored - Reservoir Dogs" decoder ring): 1. The psycho guy who will kill anyone, no matter what, without reservation - Laurence Fishburne (Michael Madsen in ResDogs).
2. The shot-in-the-gut cop who spends a good portion of the film bleeding - Milo Ventimiglia (Tim Roth in ResDogs).
3. The thoughtful guy who, while part of the heist, still doesn't want anyone to be hurt or killed - Columbus Short (possibly Harvey Keitel).
4. The skittish weirdo who doesn't really have the stomach for violence and can't stand to see things go south - Skeet Ulrich (Steve Buscemi).
5. The de facto leader who won't allow things to end, no matter how bad they get - Matt Dillon (again, maybe Harvey Keitel).
As much as Reservoir Dogs was primarily a dialogue-crazy character study with a healthy dose of breathtaking violence, "Armored," while still quite violent, is more of a cookie-cutter heist film. The central character, Ty, an Iraq war veteran on the verge of losing the family home and custody of his little brother, is backed into a corner by circumstances into joining an armored car heist concocted by Dillon, a fellow armored car guard, who is very very good in his role as a sympathetic brother-from-another-mother, who ends up turning quite bad as the heist turns south.
While not breaking any particular new ground here, "Armored" is an enjoyable heist flick that, while full of clichéd, telegraphed setups and plot line, can't help but be fun.
2. The shot-in-the-gut cop who spends a good portion of the film bleeding - Milo Ventimiglia (Tim Roth in ResDogs).
3. The thoughtful guy who, while part of the heist, still doesn't want anyone to be hurt or killed - Columbus Short (possibly Harvey Keitel).
4. The skittish weirdo who doesn't really have the stomach for violence and can't stand to see things go south - Skeet Ulrich (Steve Buscemi).
5. The de facto leader who won't allow things to end, no matter how bad they get - Matt Dillon (again, maybe Harvey Keitel).
As much as Reservoir Dogs was primarily a dialogue-crazy character study with a healthy dose of breathtaking violence, "Armored," while still quite violent, is more of a cookie-cutter heist film. The central character, Ty, an Iraq war veteran on the verge of losing the family home and custody of his little brother, is backed into a corner by circumstances into joining an armored car heist concocted by Dillon, a fellow armored car guard, who is very very good in his role as a sympathetic brother-from-another-mother, who ends up turning quite bad as the heist turns south.
While not breaking any particular new ground here, "Armored" is an enjoyable heist flick that, while full of clichéd, telegraphed setups and plot line, can't help but be fun.