The Locksmith is a modest and competent attempt at the neo-noir genre with a twist of sentimental redemption. Directed by Nicolas Harvard, the movie opens with a failed robbery that leads to the death of one of the robbers and the theft of the loot by a corrupt cop named Zwick, played by Jeffrey Nordling. The protagonist, Miller Graham, is a former locksmith who spends ten years in prison for keeping quiet about Zwick's corruption.
Upon his release, Ryan Phillippe portrays Miller as a beaten down man who tries to rebuild his life with the help of his old friend Frank and his former fiancé Beth, who is now a police detective. The story takes a twist when Miller is asked by his former friend's daughter, April, to rob a local gambling party run by her abusive boss in exchange for starting a new life.
Although the film offers a new perspective by presenting a femme fatale without seduction, the plotline is still familiar and the web of associations drawn is too obvious. The message of the film, about never sending a man to do a woman's job, is different, but the filmmakers could have put it across with more enthusiasm. The movie is well-acted, but it fails to bring anything new to the neo-noir genre.
Upon his release, Ryan Phillippe portrays Miller as a beaten down man who tries to rebuild his life with the help of his old friend Frank and his former fiancé Beth, who is now a police detective. The story takes a twist when Miller is asked by his former friend's daughter, April, to rob a local gambling party run by her abusive boss in exchange for starting a new life.
Although the film offers a new perspective by presenting a femme fatale without seduction, the plotline is still familiar and the web of associations drawn is too obvious. The message of the film, about never sending a man to do a woman's job, is different, but the filmmakers could have put it across with more enthusiasm. The movie is well-acted, but it fails to bring anything new to the neo-noir genre.