Honest Thief is a 2020 American action thriller film directed by Mark Williams, from a screenplay by Williams and Steve Allrich. The film stars Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos and Robert Patrick, and follows a former bank robber who decides to turn himself in to the FBI, only to be set up by corrupt agents.

Honest Thief was theatrically released, including in IMAX, in the United States on October 16, 2020, by Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Neeson s performance but noted the film s familiarity.

Plot

Tom Dolan, a former US Marine and demolitions expert, has become a successful bank robber, earning the nickname the In-and-Out Bandit . He turns over a new leaf when he meets and falls in love with Annie Wilkins, a psychology graduate student working at a storage unit facility.

A year into their relationship, Tom attempts to turn himself in to the FBI in exchange for a short sentence so he can put his criminal past behind him. FBI Agent Sam Baker brushes him off, having received several false confessions in the past, and sends subordinates John Nivens and Ramon Hall to interview him. Tom directs them to the storage unit where his money is kept hidden. However, Nivens starts having corruptive lucrative emotions and convinces Hall to steal the money and keep it for themselves. Nivens and Hall go rogue and confront Tom at gunpoint at his hotel where he reveals that he has two-thirds of the money hidden elsewhere as a bargaining chip, but Baker unexpectedly arrives. Nivens murders Baker, and Tom is forced to flee with Annie when she also arrives at the hotel.

Tom tells Annie everything and orders her to flee, fearing for her safety. However, she returns to the storage unit to get security camera evidence that shows Nivens and Hall stealing the money. Nivens and Hall show up and Nivens attacks and knocks Annie unconscious, but an increasingly reluctant Hall tricks him into thinking that she is dead and takes the evidence, unbeknownst to Nivens. Tom finds Annie and races her to the hospital. He then escapes from police pursuit, defeats Baker s partner Sean Meyers in a fistfight, and tells him what really happened before escaping. Nivens goes to the hospital to kill Annie, but can t get near her because Meyers is sitting in her room. Subsequently, Meyers realizes that Tom is telling the truth after seeing that Nivens story doesn t add up and returning Hall s gun to him which Tom had given to Meyers, unloaded, as proof during their fight.

Tom ambushes Hall in his home and convinces him to give up the security footage and the location of the safe house where the money was kept. Hall warns Tom that Annie s life is in danger and Tom gets Annie out of the hospital and takes her to a safe place before destroying Nivens house. Tom then sends Annie to give Meyers the security footage and lead him to the rest of the money in another storage unit as a show of good faith. Nivens flees to the safe house and meets up with Hall, where Tom confronts them. When Nivens discovers Hall turned over the security footage, he murders him in a rage, wounds Tom, and escapes. Anticipating his actions, Tom plants a dud bomb in Nivens car, forcing him to call in a bomb squad to disarm it. Meyers has Nivens arrested and recovers the stolen money from his car. After Nivens is gone, it’s revealed that Tom had the remorseful Hall keep a hidden voice recorder on his body which had caught Nivens confessing to Baker s murder as well as Nivens murdering Hall.

Meyers receives the voice recorder, exonerating Tom for the murder of Baker. With his name cleared of the murder charges, Tom turns himself in, and Meyers promises to try to get a lighter sentence for Tom. Meyers expresses his respect for Tom s actions in both taking down Nivens and turning himself in for Annie, suggesting that in other circumstances, Tom would make a good FBI agent.

Cast

• Liam Neeson as Tom Dolan, an aging thief known as the In-and-Out Bandit .
• Kate Walsh as Annie Wilkins, Tom s love interest.
• Jai Courtney as Agent John Nivens, a corrupt FBI agent.
• Jeffrey Donovan as Agent Sean Meyers
• Anthony Ramos as Agent Ramon Hall, a corrupt FBI agent and John s partner.
• Robert Patrick as Agent Sam Baker
• Jasmine Cephas Jones as Beth Hall

Production

On October 12, 2018, it was announced that Liam Neeson and Kate Walsh would star in the thriller film Honest Thief, as bank robber Tom and his love interest Annie, respectively, with Mark Williams directing. Jai Courtney and Jeffrey Donovan were also in talks for roles, with Tai Duncan, Myles Nestel, Williams, and Craig Chapman producing the film. Courtney and Donovan were later confirmed along with Anthony Ramos, and Robert Patrick added to the cast in November, with filming set to begin on November 5. The film was set in Boston, and shot in and around Worcester, Massachusetts.

Release

In January 2020, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for a September 4, 2020 release. It was then re-scheduled to be released on October 9, 2020. In June 2020, it was announced Open Road Films would co-distribute the film with Briarcliff. After temporarily being pulled from the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film s ultimate U.S. release date was October 16, 2020. Due to the lack of big-budget competition, the film also played in IMAX and Dolby theaters.

Reception

Box office

Honest Thief has grossed $14.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $30.1 million.

In the United States, the film grossed $1.3 million from 2,425 theaters on its first day, including $225,000 from Thursday night preview screenings. It went on to debut to $3.6 million, or $4.1 million including Canada s opening weekend the previous week, topping the box office. In its second weekend the film made $2.4 million, remaining in first, before being dethroned by newcomer Come Play in its third weekend.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Honest Thief holds an approval rating of 40% based on 106 reviews, with an average score of 5/10. The website s critics consensus reads, Guilty of first-degree squandering, Honest Thief returns Liam Neeson to late-period action thriller mode but neglects to supply much of a story. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. According to PostTrak, 75% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 53% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety complimented Neeson for not phoning in his performance, but added, Honest Thief isn t incompetent (for a certain kind of pulp action fan, it delivers just enough of the goods), but it s a textbook case of an action movie that goes through the motions. Frank Scheck for The Hollywood Reporter said the film delivers exactly what you expect and wrote, Running a sleek 90 minutes before the credits roll, Honest Thief is certainly efficient if not exactly original, with writer/director Williams infusing it with enough quirky character touches — such as Tom crankily complaining how much he hates his In and Out Bandit moniker — to distract from the derivative feeling of it all.

Year	2020
ReleaseDate	2020-10-16
RuntimeMins	99
RuntimeStr	1h 39min
Plot	Wanting to lead an honest life, a notorious bank robber turns himself in, only to be double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents.
Awards	Awards, 1 nomination
Directors	Mark Williams
Writers	Steve Allrich, Mark Williams
Stars	Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney
Produced by	Andrea Ajemian,Jonathan Bross,Craig Chapman,Christelle Conan,Charles Dorfman,Tai Duncan,Russell Geyser,David Gilbery,Eric Gold,Warren Goz,John Jencks,Jonah Loop,James Masciello,Myles Nestel,Tom Ortenberg,Trevor Osmond,Clay Pecorin,Matthew Sidari,Joe Simpson,Martin Sprock,James Swarbrick,Jay Taylor,Mark Williams,Simon Williams,Lisa Wilson,Will Young,Mitchell Zhang
Music by	Mark Isham
Cinematography by	Shelly Johnson
Film Editing by	Michael P. Shawver
Casting By	Mary Vernieu,Michelle Wade Byrd
Production Design by	Tom Lisowski
Set Decoration by	Michael C. Stone
Costume Design by	Deborah Newhall
Makeup Department	Frank Barbosa,Liz Bernstrom,Claudia Moriel,Shayna Passaretti,Kim Valentine,Noriko Watanabe
Production Management	Andrea Ajemian,Michael Nehs,Jill Sacco
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Eric Altieri,Anthony Beckwith,Kate Hennessy,Nicholas Mastandrea,Gijo Uthuppu
Art Department	Thoma Anas,Shadya H. Ballug,Luke Bellamy,Guy L. Bermel,Daniel J. Courchaine,Mateo Diaz,Jonathan Dorr,Sean Doyle,Perry Grebin,Freda Grim,Lori Hruska,Kenneth Kolodziej,Eitan Levine,Sean Mannion,Molly Martin,Adam McClain,Rebecca McClean,Gabor Medveczky,Laura Mernoff,Craig S. Pasco,Anthony Phelps,Luisa Piña,Anthony Raymond,Natalia Rozengard,Zachary Sears,Alana Shea,Tony Soares,Colin Sutherland,Jessica L. Therrien,Geoff Wallick,Brandon Warner,Jae Willard,Mark Williams,Luisa Piña
Sound Department	Laura Harris Atkinson,Tara Blume,Brian Courchine,Andrew DeCristofaro,Jared Detsikas,David Esparza,Tim Haber,Kimberly Jimenez,Alexander Jongbloed,Jim Keaney,Tony Lamberti,Howard London,Julianne McCormack,Brian Ortiz,Michael Payne,Monique Reymond,Diana J. Rogers,Mark Shaw,Geordy Sincavage,Betsy Solorzano,David Stanke,Darren ‘Sunny’ Warkentin,Kyle Angello,Jeremy Eisener,Geordy Sincavage
Special Effects by	Nathen Cavins,Robert Howell,Juliana Lima,John Ruggieri,Jeffery D. Woodrel
Visual Effects by	Chadd B. Cole,Taylor Ellis,Rian Danielle Johnson,Jamie Leonard,Kameron Mimran,Kameron Mimran,John Ryan,Cara Salmeri,Mike Shahoud,Cameron VanHook,Kevin VanHook,Ryan Wilmott
Stunts	Bryce Burke,Jared Burke,Ken Clark,John Donohue,Shauna Galligan,Lance Gilbert,Troy Gilbert,Dean Grimes,Robert Lee Harvey,Donald John Hewitt,Logan Holladay,Jalil Jay Lynch,Mike Massa,Paul Maurice,Robert Nagle,A.J. Paratore,Charlie Picerni,Mark Vanselow,Kevin Waterman,Alistair Whitton,Scott Wilder,Danny Wynands,Ken Clark,Robert Lee Harvey,Skyler Millicano,Nate Mitchell,Robert Nagle,A.J. Paratore
Camera and Electrical Department	Andrea Angell,Nolan Ball,Paul Birk,Athena Charbatji,Robert Clark,Phil Darrell,Chris Delsesto,Tevya Desiderio,Matthew Dorris,Jacob Fountain,Dan Furst,Bill Grady,Alexandra Hadley,David Hallas,Daniel Hourihan,Christopher Husta,Benjamin Tyler Knight,Scott Lebeda,Julian Lowenthal,Marty Lucero,Samuel Lüsted,Mariana Maranhad,Mariana Maranhao,Clinton McMahon,Jesse McNeil,John McNeil,Dillon Mooney,Jeff Muhlstock,Bob Paré,Seacia Pavao,Dan Peck,Dylan Michael Peloquin,Justin Perro,Sam Robinson,David C. Romano,Alec Roy,Kyle Sanville,Dave Scranton,Mitch Severt,Jason Chef Sokolowski,Darren Stahlman,Dana Starbard,Tyler Wasson,Daniel Wilson,Nick Jablonski,Lance Mayer,Jared Pearson,Jason Shepherd,Ryan Wilmott
Casting Department	Mike Clifford,Geena Dioquino,Grace Gallant,Ngoc Anh Hà,Lisa Lobel,Angela Peri,Mark Sussman,Heather Whitty,Patty Connolly
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Gail Buckley,Victoria Hersey,Jez Insalaco,Candace Masterson,Marciann Shapiro,Tina Ulee,Amelia Daly Woodbury
Editorial Department	Eric Alirez,Deven Blethen,Jill Bogdanowicz,Mike Chiado,Samuel Cornwell,Christina de Guzman,Scott R. Dixon,Emily Faw,Marian Jiménez,Zachary Korpi,David Levinson,Jeff Maynard,Amy Pawlowski,Marilyn Penn-Lindley,John Quartel,Dylan Quirt,Erik Rogers,Stefan Sonnenfeld,C. Ryan Stemple,W. Kale Whorton,Douglas Yablun
Location Management	Alex Berard,Patrick Brazile,Enoch-Jude Danquah,Peter Dooley,Thomas Mahoney,Olivia Minervini
Music Department	Kristen Azevedo,Bence Bobák,Allison Cantor,Brad Dechter,Tara Finegan,Tim Hegarty,John Houston,Bryce Jacobs,Aaron Jorgensen,Monique Kairouz,Jason La Rocca,Steve Lindsey,Tyler Parkinson,Michael Roby,Michael D. Simon,Will Taggart,Oren Yaacoby,György Mohai
Script and Continuity Department	Jillian Roache
Transportation Department	Joseph Bairos Jr.,Jay Bathgate,Jeffrey C. Boyd,Tim Davis,Gary A. Dionne,Mark Donadio,Michael Donohue,Dann Griffin,Adam Jeffrey,David Kenny,Robert Martini,John Michalides,Jon Mosher,Charlie Moskofoglou,Alex Nevarez,Davin Olson,Brian Perry,Herminio Ramos,Tony Soucier,Joe Spinello,Zachary Zona,Mel DuPont
Additional Crew	Danielle Artigo,Marty Baker,Alexandra Barolli,Jay Bathgate,Madelyne Bergeron,Michelle Chang,Erin Cole,Rosario Corso,Felicia Craggs,Elliot Davis,Tim Davis,William Deasey,Ashley DeLuca,Randy Denicola,Cindy Doan,Zecco Eze,Sasha Fastovskiy,Samuel Fitzgerald,Agar Forjan,Jeffrey Francek,Tara Collins Freeman,Peter Fruchtman,Jacob Gfrorer,James Gracik,Mark Green,DeMille Halliburton,Mark Hardin,Kevin Harner,Jennifer Hess,Ross Higgins,Max Hill,Todd Hill,Sean Hoschek,Jake Irwin,Joe Kelly,Sean Kia,Rose Legat,Heather Flynn Leonard,Mark Leonardo II,Nadine Luque,Nicole Mavis,Jack McCullough,Annie Laurie Medonis,Lauren Mendoza,Peri Michael,Christos Michaels,Melissa Miller,Allison Moore,Chris Mouskroundi,Susan Muir,Annalise Mulford,Miles Nestel,Len Pendergast,Marilyn Penn-Lindley,Diann Peterson,Tim Pitts,Sean Pope,Teddy Pryor,Radhika Punhani,Dan Rose,Jayson Ruboy,Helen Sam,Greg Saraceno,Silvia Schmidt,Joe Simchinski,Karen Spencer,Meghan Spencer,Adam M. Stone,Cat Stone,Lee Stone,Paul Taft,Prabhanjay Tiwari,Christine Torto,Liz Vondrak,Anthony Waldmyer,Randy Weaver,Abra White,Kim Williams,Lisa Wilson,Nathan Adabadze,Shivam Bangwal,Ian Dumas,Pete Erickson,Susan Fountain,Jonathan Gorner,Victoria Hersey,Christopher G. Howland,Ioana Lazareanu,Michael Martinez,Heidi Brook Myers,Erin Myles
Thanks	Chris Andrews,Trevor Astbury,Kelly Collins,Larry Collins,Joshua Deitell,Charles Dewey,John Friesen,Joyce Friesen,Chris Goodman,Sarah Laita,Lia Lampe,Allie Loh,Cole Miller,Patrick Newall,Tiffany Stone,John Tonelli,Marco Tonelli,Andrea Williams,Andriana Williams,Eric Williams,Laura Lynn Williams
Genres	Action, Thriller
Companies	Argonaut Entertainment Partners, Briarcliff Entertainment, Cutting Edge Group
Countries	USA
Languages	English, Spanish, German
ContentRating	PG-13
ImDbRating	6
ImDbRatingVotes	50048
MetacriticRating	46
Keywords	corrupt fbi agent,love,criminal past,dog,divorcee