The abject non-hero of Kelly Reichardt’s engrossingly downbeat heist movie, set in 1970s Massachusetts, is weak, vain and utterly clueless. By the end, he’s a weirdly Updikean figure, though without the self-awareness: going on the run with no money and without a change of clothes, to escape from the grotesque mess he has made for himself and his family.
James, played with hangdog near-charm by Josh O’Connor; is an art school dropout and would-be architectural designer… Having established the lax security measures at a local art gallery, he plans to pay two tough guys and a getaway driver to steal four paintings by American artist Arthur Dove and hide them at a nearby farmhouse.
“…its ostentatiously unadorned reality makes the extraordinary events real and startling, shot, as always with Reichardt, with an earth-tones colour palette in a cold, clear daylight in her unflavoured, unaccented style… Reichardt has unerringly located the unglamour in the heist.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“The fallout from the mediocre robbery of a minor-league museum leads to a steadily deepening character study that ruminates on what’s really at stake, and who exactly we’re rooting for.” — Nicolas Rapold, Sight and Sound
Local tip
He tīwhiri mō te rohe
Make a night of it in the Aotea Arts Quarter. Aotea Square, Auckland Town Hall, Q Theatre and plenty of nearby dining options are all within a short walk of The Civic.
Getting there
Te huarahi ki reira
The Civic is on the corner of Queen and Wellesley Streets in the city centre. Te Waihorotiu Station is right nearby, making the train an easy option, while frequent bus services stop along Queen and Wellesley Streets. If driving, The Civic Car Park beneath Aotea Square is the closest parking option. For more transport information, check out our Getting Around page.
More info
He pārongo atu anō
