WE STILL STEAL THE OLD WAY

Directed by: Sacha Bennett

Starring: Ian Ogilvy, Patrick Bergin, Julian Glover, Lysette Anthony

The Archer Gang, last seen in We Still Kill the Old Way, are up to their old tricks again, executing a daring bank robbery with the prize a large shipment of gold bullion. Unfortunately they are caught mid-heist, and sent to prison. However, not all is as it seems – Archer and his cohorts may have allowed themselves to be caught on purpose, so they could execute a daring plan to help an old friend escape from behind bars…

After the very good thriller We Still Kill the Old Way, hopes and anticipation was high for the follow-up. It’s a bit of a shame that the film can’t live up to those expectations but remains an entertaining thriller, all the same.

The first issue with the film is its title and the way its being marketed. Both the title and the DVD cover suggest that this is a bank heist thriller in which the gang are going to plan and execute a daring robbery – indeed this was hinted at the end of the previous film.  However, the so-called heist is done in the first ten minutes, with the rest of the film’s running time spent largely in prison. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but the audience is being sold something completely different.

It becomes obvious very early on that this is film had a smaller production budget to work with but it makes the most of what it has. It’s chief ace is Ian Ogilvy – how great it is that this actor has had a career resurgence in DTV thrillers such as this. He lends a lot of charisma and professionalism to the whole enterprise. Similarly, Patrick Bergin (Patriot Games) is also very good as George Briggs, the man they’re trying to break out, and Billy Murray makes a great scheming villain.

Tanya Franks doehas an interesting role as Governor Pryce, newly in charge of the prison and keen to make a name for herself in a heavily male-orientated environment. She shows a lot of backbone in her prison but falls to pieces when pressured elsewhere. Ultimately she proves to be like Aliens’ Gorman, inexperienced and prone to freeze up in a crisis. It’s an interesting character but you cant’ help but think the consensus is the reason she is ineffectual is because she’s a woman trying to do a man’s job, which makes me wish they’d either gone with a male actor or made the character more competent.

THE VERDICT

There is a lot of fun to be had watching the likes of ian Ogilvy and Patrick Bergin owning the prison, but this pales in comparison to the first film. And expect a prison movie, not a heist movie.

6 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)