To Steal From a Thief

Valencia: the Spanish capital of corruption. Six armed men attempt what should be a cut-and-dry bank heist but nothing goes to plan.

Director Daniel Calparsoro (Combustion) and writer Jorge Guerricaechevarrí (My Big Night SFF16) set off an avalanche of possibilities as hostages are taken, police swarm the rain-soaked streets and the existence of a safe is disclosed, which contains something far more precious than jewels and cash. The implications reach to the upper echelons of government, even rocking the stability of the country.

With hints of Spike Lee’s Inside Man and Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon in its central plot, the sympathy one feels for its hapless criminals largely recalls Lumet’s classic, the robbers too ignorant to be the real villains. This is a muscular example of strong ensemble acting and intrigue that keeps the stakes high until its concluding moments.