Everyone knows the filmmaking conventions that make a good heist movie: a mismatch of eccentric characters each with their own skill set, speeches about how the impossible task is actually possible, and the execution. Heist movies always feature the debonair hero, the hothead, the uneasy alliance, the romantic interest, and a villain. A heist film lives and dies on its storyteller’s ability to overcome the derivative and craft something exciting. John Barker’s The Umbrella Men represents the highs and lows of the genre.

Buhagiar can be forgiven for adding a bit of magic realism to shore up the storyline, or maybe it’s just God’s intervention. Take your pick.While the cathedral is closed for masses until further notice, the parishioners are welcome to confess. Concealing herself in the confessional, with “a voice like the Virgin Mary,” Carmen counsels the abused and forlorn women of the town. Even a young girl with the voice of an angel is advised to take money from the collection box and escape to Rome where her talent will be recognized.

The director does a great job of using certain shots and sounds to sell the danger of climbing the tower. It comes off as rickety and on the verge of collapse to really build tension. There are numerous close calls that put them in mortal danger and the script does a great job of setting small things up to pay them off later. There was one revelation later in the movie that is telegraphed obviously, but there’s a great twist towards the end that’s well done.

The way the story comments on Laura’s standing in her relationship and family is the only poignant aspect of the movie. You feel sympathy for her from early on and can tell she feels constrained in a relationship that’s lost its spark. Once she tells David what happened to her, he quickly takes on the responsibility of revenge as a way of proving his masculinity, and Laura’s father soon does the same. While the movie tries to do something different with an old cliché, the way it’s executed stills seems a tad exploitative .

Wall and Giles became friends and through gardening, he taught her how to remain optimistic and appreciative of life even when she knew she didn’t have much time left. That became the foundation for Wall memoir Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening. One drawback of the documentary is that it seems like it glosses over Owita’s involvement in all this, and while it does provide background on him, I would have liked to learn more about the man that inspired Wall so deeply. 

Cal and Erin struggle to meet the past on their own terms: Cal approaches life from a position of anxiety, while Erin projects tenacity; but they are equally grasping for purchase against the upheavals that have warped what was once familiar. Both performances reveal a slow seething to the surface: Richardson has a severity to her demeanor, which articulates Erin’s determination to rectify old wounds and pay off a karmic debt; while Teague is tortured by his inaction.

Paul Gordon as David is the highlight of the movie since his delivery is so awkward and dry. David seems like a boring person doing his best to impress Anna since he and his wife recently separated. He doesn’t come off as creepy and there’s a certain charm to his droning dialogue that gives the movie a comedic aspect that it needs. While David and Joan mirror Anna and Bo in some ways, they aren't as key to the overall plot as they could have been and fleshing out their characters could have added a lot more to the movie.

Nitram is distinguished by three outstanding but contrasting central performances. Jones has become a screen presence who evinces vulnerability and unease in equal measure, and he is sensational here. Jones conveys an inner world of rage and confusion with tremendous subtlety, lending a tragic gloss to Nitram’s childlike simplicity and blundering attempts at social engagement. It is a frank and fearless portrayal of mental illness left to its own devices.

Keke Palmer is a talented actress who makes the most of her screen time. Unfortunately, the script is not up to par with Palmer’s dynamic and elegant performance. The character of Alice is severely underutilized. Half of the film’s runtime is devoted to life on the plantation, thus Alice’s escape and subsequent discovery that she is in the year 1973 never gets a moment to breathe. Despite Alice finding herself in a new century, the news never seems to shock Alice.

Robert Pattinson delivers a unique take on a Bruce Wayne/Batman that is consumed by his emotional trauma and is portrayed as an awkward and unstable man struggling to do his best against all odds. He’s obsessive, self-destructive, and looks like he never gets an ounce of sleep, but it all gives the character a realistic feel. The mystery at the core of the plot is very well done with the main villain, the Riddler, doing a great job of being a menacing enigma who taunts Batman at every turn.