Henry's Crime from 2010 was a nice surprise.The film stars Keanu Reeves as Henry, a man who seems to go through life like a sleepwalker. When his friends ask him to fill in at a baseball game for their sick friend, Henry goes along. When ALL of them go to the ATM at the bank and ask them to wait outside, Henry goes along. And then he goes along to prison after the bank is robbed, taking the fall for his friends.While in prison, Henry meets Max (James Caan), a confidence man who loves prison and botches his parole hearings every time. Max's philosophy is, to find a purpose, you have to have a dream. Apparently his is to stay in prison.Once released, Henry, who at this point has no life, decides that since he was accused of robbing the bank and didn't, he's going to rob it now. He discovers that a long-ago tunnel into the bank still exists from the theater next door. It means talking Max into getting parole. And it also means getting a role in "The Cherry Orchard."A top cast that includes Vera Farmiga and Peter Stomare, who gives a hilarious turn as the director of the Chekov play, really liven up this film. It's an intriguing if improbable plot; they make it fun.Reeves to me isn't much of an actor, but he pulls off Henry just fine. I'm not sure what his secret is, but he always seems to look the same age. Farmiga as the actress anxious to get out of town is excellent, and Caan is terrific. Fisher Stevens is on hand as one of Henry's robbery "friends," who turns up again.This is a little gem that apparently only played in 8 U.S. theaters.

Henry has a boring job in the Buffalo area as a toll collector. We never see exactly what road he is on, but it appears there is lots more traffic in the background than there is on his road.One morning he comes home and gets to spend some time with wife Debbie, a nurse. Their marriage seems okay. Then Henry's friends, including Eddie, come over and say they need him to play in an important softball game. But they need to make a stop at the Buffalo Savings Bank first. All four men are wearing uniforms, but Henry has to stay in the van. The other three put on masks and rob the bank. Only Henry is caught, and since he won't rat on his friends, he gets sent up the river.Fortunately, Henry's cellmate is a really nice man named Max. Max is a lifer who likes prison and has no desire to get out. Henry doesn't seem to despise prison, but he would like to leave. And his time is over pretty quickly. His wife has left him, and he needs to figure out what to do with his life. Henry finds out about a tunnel built between the bank and what is now Orpheum Theater, used for a speakeasy during Prohibition. He did the time, so why not rob the bank anyway? In the process of investigating Henry meets Julie, an actress best known for lottery commercials who is acting in a Chekhov play at the theater, but wants to be a real actress. As a cover, Henry decides to join the play, and he's actually pretty good. And he and Julie seem to like each other. He later gets more help when Max gets out on parole and continues his previous life as a "confidence man" (he hates the term "con man"). And the cop who caught Henry wants to help too, because he's not appreciated.One possible problem: Eddie and his friends want in on the action.Can Henry get away with it? This is the type of movie where we want him to succeed, like in "Ocean's Eleven".In a better movie, James Caan would have been nominated for an Oscar for his excellent portrayal of Max. He is the standout performer here.Vera Farmiga is quite good as Julie, who is better than this sorry role. And yet she gives it her all. What she does on stage and in rehearsals is worthy of being seen on the Tonys.Keanu Reeves is okay. Not bad. Not great. He's better in the Chekhov play.Fisher Stevens does a very good job. I'm used to seeing him as a basically nice guy who is sleazy, but here is is just bad. Not bad in that sense. He's very good at being bad.There's no clear ending. I will say that much. So I'm not quite sure what happens. But the climactic scene is pretty amazing.It's really worth seeing.

I understand why some people did not like this very good film - it is slower, and it is not The Matrix, or Konstantin. This is a very good work, and yes, Keanu's character is a bit slow, silent and detached - but here is what he is like. His role is balanced perfectly by fiery and very funny James Caan who did a very, very excellent job. His part of a con-man is a great plus, and his part is almost The best in here. Vera Farmiga is another great plus of the movie, her part of a Russian theater actress is very cool, too. She does a perfect Diva here, and does it extremely convincing way. Well, yes, the movie is not a fast and furious action one, but this was not the intent. The very theater style of the film is obvious, and the nice link to the Chekhov's play is a warm heart-thawing welcome for all Russian viewers. Keanu is a very good Lopakhin and Vera is a very sweet Ranevskaya. And then, yeah, here is excellent Peter Stormare as a choleric and very short-tempered theater director with all his idiosyncrasies and craze. Casting was done very well, and this stellar ensemble of actors is a mighty element for the great movie.

There is a saying in Greece that states "All the money". You say that about things or people, when you think that they alone are worth watching a movie alone. In this particular case, I'm talking about James Caan. Keanu does his usual shtick and Vera is there, but not in a "Up" kind of way.The story itself is nothing to get too excited about (for most people that is), but James Caan gives the whole thing gravitas (and the occasional much needed comic relief). Although some would call Keanus acting constant comedy, that would not be a nice thing to say. Still, the charisma of a lead looks different in my book. Light comedy, neither too bad, nor too good.