From the beginning, I wanted to dislike this movie. The lead just didn't strike me as very interesting to start. But like the simple plot and easy to digest acting, he gets better as the movie moves on. The ending was simple and endearing.
Nah, it's not that amazing or groundbreaking in the least but it's fun and well paced.
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jonalovin-4530719 March 2019
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PurpleCrayon201430 March 2019Finding Steve McQueen is a love story disguised as a bank robbery movie. This is a Baby Driver wannabe, without the great production, direction and dialogue. If you've never heard of Travis Fimmel before, well, this film won't leave a lasting impression of him with you either. Finding Steve McQueen has 24 Producers, so if the tempo or mood or anything else seems uneven-there you go. Everything starts out exciting as a bank heist film, but then it flips to a love story and by the 1 hour marks it's ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz. The soundtrack is fantastic, so this is the movie you play in the background while doing something else, like surfing the internet.
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KhunLek16 March 2019Highly fictionalized account of an actual bank robbery that occurred in California, 1972. The main character (Harry Barber), one of the robbers, is a young man who sees himself cut from the same cloth as the actor, Steve McQueen. Despite often having a 'deer in headlights' look about him, Harry unfolds a detailed tale of the robbery some years later to his girlfriend, Molly. The main theme of the heist centers on stealing President Nixon's slush fund money that supposedly is hidden in a safety deposit box with the bank. FBI agents Lambert and Felt (of Nixonian fame as deep cover contact, Deep Throat) are hot on the trail of the heist crew. Both the love story and the heist are an enjoyable watch.
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jimmyjoe58316 March 2019This movie is a good date flick, by a guys standard. Girls will probably enjoy it as well. Travis Fimmel is ok as the leading man but it appeared to me that he is still learning his craft. He is more than capably supported by a great group of actors to help him carry this movie. William Fichtner, Forest Whitaker, John Finn and Molly McQueen are engaging and fun to watch. Louis Lombardi steals every scene he utters dialogue in and Rhys Coiro eerily channels Hal Linden. If this movie didn't have the Nixon/True story angle I don't think it would be as captivating.
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SnobReviews28 March 2019"Finding Steve McQueen" actually has nothing really to do with actor Steve McQueen but is still quite entertaining and funny for a B movie.
In this crime comedy based on a true story, a gang of thieves attempt to steal millions from Richard Nixon's secret fund.
Overall a good film with some smart humour and fun twists. William Fitchner ("Crash") gives a stellar and hilarious performance, he kills his role. I did find that "Finding Steve McQueen" was too dragged out and felt long even at 90-minutes. It's crazy to think that this is a true story and considered the biggest heist in America. It's worth a watch.
See it at home or skip it. -
Wizard-819 December 2019I hadn't even heard of this movie before I found a Blu-ray copy of it at my local library today. But I know from experience that taking a chance on unknown movies often uncovers gems and sleepers, so I decided to watch it. Was the movie worth my time? Well, overall I would say yes. The movie has an irresistible premise that turns out to be a true story (can't believe this true story was never filmed before), and the story never has any dull spots in its telling. There is also some effective humor and suspense along the way. Also, the soundtrack has a number of great oldies played that add flavor and a feel for the period. But at the same time, the movie has some weakness that prevents the movie from being great. For starters, it seems to assume that its audience will know all about the background of the Watergate/Richard Nixon scandal; although I knew enough about this part of history to know the references, viewers who don't have my knowledge may be very confused. Also, the movie's unconventional storytelling style (flashforwards and flashbacks) results in some plot threads and characters to be put on the backburner for long periods of time, resulting in the movie losing some momentum. As it turns out, some key characters are really weak; we learn very little about the ringmaster of the crime or the protagonist's brother (including what happened to them after their last scenes.) Also, while the filmmakers are to be commended for managing to do an entire period piece on a low budget, some production values do look a little undernourished. Don't get me wrong from what I've just listed - the movie is still worth a look, but it may be best to wait until you can see it for free like I was able to.
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Light spoilers due to based on a real person/story but no serious plot points.
While it's not gonna bust any genres and the only somewhat interesting filmmaking thing about it is it's timeline jumps due to it being told in flashbacks... (which are done coherently, but it's not actually interesting, it's the only thing i could stretch to say it was interesting in a film making sense..)
But Travis Fimmel is good as the likable awkward lead.. it's weird seeing him with hair on his head and none on his face from Vikings, lol.. I gotta say, he's got amazing eyes. heh.
really the only thing going for this movie is the cast, and really, the supporting cast at that, the two romantic leads do well enough but it's the support cast that really shine.. but it's enough to make the film a light fun watch on a saturday afternoon..
it's a middle of the road film all around but just edges out on this side of ok.. I enjoyed watching it even tho it really didn't do anything.. it's a "cute" little breezy period piece with a light heist bit thrown in.. it's all loosely based on a real thing and person, Harry Barber.. who was part of a heist in the early 70's who had a whole town and it's sheriff do a letter writing campaign on his behalf to attest to his good character..
so, don't expect much but it does have it's charms.. charming, that's a good one word review. Forest Whitaker is wasted here but Fitchner does his best Fitchner.. it's just light fun but can easily be skipped.. -
ger55champ10 November 2021Totally wasted by the lead actor Travis Frimmel .This guy can't act for peanuts .And those eyes make you uneasy just looking at him.
Could have been so much better .Some unconvincing acting in parts and poor script ,make you lose interest pretty quickly . -
mrncat11 June 2020Based upon true events, this movie mixes a bank heist, romance and being a fan of actor, Steve McQueen, into ultimately kind of a refreshing ride. There is an earnestness to this movie as well as humor -- I haven't genuinely laughed out loud at a movie in a long time. The soundtrack is spot on, also, and enhanced the movie. The only actor I recognized is Forest Whitaker, and he adds needed credibility in his depiction of a decent member of law enforcement.
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soundoflight10 August 2019What a strange little movie. It's almost three separate movies in one. The first is about a bank heist, the second is about a sappy romance, and the third is about a politically charged police investigation. Out of the three, only the heist portion has any merit and even that is pretty thin. It's mostly a study in how to create flat, 1-dimensional characters that nobody cares about. The political parts were dull and this Nixon stuff has been re-hashed a million times before. The romance part seems like it was written by a 12 year old boy who's never touched a girl (and in turn, that's how the lead actor plays the part, which was unintentionally the most amusing part of the film). For the most part, I would call the performance "cringe-worthy." The female lead was only remarkable for how much she appears to be a clone of Nicole Kidman (where DO they find these people?). There was so much awesome music in that era, but we get the b-list of the b-list here. You could see everything coming a mile away, partially because they structured the story in a way that intentionally gave away spoilers. Kind of a bizarre approach to filmmaking.
I watched this only because I like heist films set in that time period. There was more sport back then - now technology has made large scale robberies practically impossible. Do not waste your time with this and instead check out "Thief (1981)." -
brendaniforth19 March 2019I thought this was a delightful little film. I liked the structure and the way the story unfolds. Anyone who lived through Watergate will also appreciate the time. I loved that we had an appearance by Deep Throat in his official capacity as Deputy Director of the FBI. I also loved seeing Forrest Whitaker as the dogged FBI agent
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MadamWarden30 October 2019I am a fan of Steve McQueen and Travis carries of his persona really well. A nice little movie with an interesting storyline given its factual basis.
That said, it lacked depth and character development of everyone except Travis. Never really got going. -
ThatDutchman4 August 2019Acting is just okay. The story is slow and a little bit messy. No action at all. Cime part is dull and even the romance part is dull, both very boring parts. At the end it is a dull and boring movie with a bad written script/story.
They could have made it really nice, but in my eyes it is just short of a total dissaster.
Not recommended. -
The music score was rocking and raised my rating by 2 points. Travis Fimel is a superb actor as are Forest Whitaker and William Fichtner. All played their parts with great attention to detail. I can't say that I was that impressed with Rachael Taylor's performance as Fimel's love interest.
A true story about breaking into the United California Bank is old news, but Travis Fimel is the latest and greatest new rising star after his standout performance in the 2013-2017 TV series Vikings. He gained a ton of weight for this performance as the real life bank thief Harry Barber, and he was unrecognizable except for his deep blue eyes.
The film is one you have to pay attention to, and you may want to watch it twice just so you don't miss hoe the bank robbery was executed and how the bank thieves eventually were arrested. This is not a spoiler alert since this film is based on a real life bank robbery at the United California Bank that took place back in 1972.
The music score keeps the audience pumped up through out from the beginning until the film rolls to the end credits. I give the film a decent 7 out of 10 IMDB rating. -
robcallawayvfr8 August 2023We watched this movie primarily because of Travis Fimmel playing the lead. Intrigued to see him playing something other than a Viking. The film itself was full of cliché scenes and comedy moments which fall flat on their face.
The acting was OK, however, personally I don't think Travis is a natural at comedy, more suited to unhinged psychopath roles.
The pacing was erratic and I found it difficult to keep interest.
However, that said the whole movie was redeemed by a great soundtrack that elevated the whole experience. Oh, and some fun driving and chase sequences akin to The Dukes of Hazzard and references to Bullitt (random VW Beetle) and jumps. -
TxMike26 June 2020I enjoyed this movie a bit better then I imagined I would. It really has nothing to do with the real Steve Mcqueen, it is a reference to one of the bank robbers being a Mcqueen fan, often checking into a hotel or renting a car using the Mcqueen name. So in the end the FBI had to "find Steve Mcqueen" to help solve the crime.
This is based on, perhaps inspired by, a real California bank heist in 1972, right about the time Nixon and his cohorts were getting into trouble for the Watergate break in which eventually resulted in his leaving office.
This isn't a comedy but it contains lots of funny conversations and funny lines. Like the two men talking about "that crook Nixon" and the other saying "naw, he's too slick they will never pin anything on him." And some of it is inappropriate, like the "spinner" comment in reference to Goldie Hawn.
But in the end it is a tale of how the inclusion of stupid criminals in your crew can lead to the crime being solved and everyone caught and sent to jail.
I watched this at home on DVD from my public library. Good, entertaining movie. -
Films that centre around a heist can go a number of ways, the slick style of Ocean's Eleven or the much more serious tone of Heat being just a few examples of how different a path you can go down. Finding Steve McQueen is a heist film that definitely leans toward the more playful side and I, for one, found it to be a deeply entertaining one at that.
Based on the United California Bank robbery in 1972, Finding Steve McQueen sees a gang of close-knit thieves from Youngstown, Ohio attempt to steal $30 million in illegal contributions and blackmail money from President Richard Nixon's secret fund.
Finding Steve McQueen jumps back and forth in time as the protagonist of the film, Harry Barber, comes clean to his girlfriend about the robbery he took part in eight years ago. It's a choice that serves the film well as it gives Barber the chance as a character to reflect on his actions and atone for the errors in his life, offering the audience a more conflicted character within a heist film rather than the thieft just out for himself.
The writing is solid as the film delivers a number of laughs and poignant emotional moments between particular characters, Ken Hixon and Keith Sharon giving this the feel of something like Logan Lucky, which isn't exactly the worst company to be in.
Finding Steve McQueen features an ensemble cast of instantly recognisable faces that it'd be great to see more of in Hollywood. Travis Fimmel is great as Barber, the antihero of the piece whose false confidence and relationship with Rachael Taylor's Molly Murphy make him quite an endearing character. William Fichtner is that guy you can just rely on to turn up and deliver quality in his performance and of course Forest Whitaker as well, even if it's a role that doesn't require as much work as some of his previous films.
While it may not be as memorable as some other heist films or as cool as the titular Hollywood icon, Finding Steve McQueen is an enjoyable ride nonetheless. Quite honestly though, there's not many that are cooler than Steve McQueen. -
jakebrann3 August 2020For the first 30 minutes of this movie I was into it and thinking I had possibly found a real jem. As it went on it became more irritating and winds up basically being nothing... Still pretty good but not what it appears to be with the way it starts out.
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Easygoer1020 March 2019To even mention Steve McQueen, "The King of Cool", in the title of this film is a joke. It is a woeful, pretentious pile of rubbish. I couldnt stand more than 30 minutes of it. Pass this trash up.
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ops-5253519 April 2019I love heistmovies, and had some expectations,upon the 1972 flick that featured steve mcqueen, a film that is mentioned a lot, and the main carachter of this movie are a spitting image of.. but i was very disapointed, especially about the story,and excecution of the plot that are excuitesly shallow and un interesting, especially the second half.
the acting is good enough,and so are the action, but elsewhere it seems like the director and producers have had high hopes that the actors should overperform on a bad script, but they were wrong.the actors does what they are told and paid for,and then the conclusion is done.
the grumpy old man can recommend, but would rather point a finger to the film nokas, much better and also a true story.... -
pmama6913 January 2020How on earth did this get good reviews?? It's slow dull and boring. Nothing to see here, move along. The only good thing about the film is it's quite short, so it's over sooner. Done bother is my advice
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Started a little bit slow and as one reviewer pointed out Travis Fimmel is getting better at his craft, and I do think he some of the charisma Steve McQueen had. The rest of the main cast is incredible, from Forest Whitaker, William Fichtner, Lily Rabe, and others.
As I said it started a bit slow but half way into and it had a definite Ocean's Eleven vibe to it and how the inestigation behind it starts to take the smallest clues makes it an intelligent movie as well. It had a few shockers at the end but I leave it up to the viewers to enjoy.
I could definitely watch this multiple times. -
ChrisStavroulis14 April 2019First you have to know this movie has nothing to do with Steve McQueen.But it's not bad, very watchable ,with nice acting.
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jan-matej13 April 2019What a waste of time this was...Awful acting, terrible directing, shallow story...i mean; do your job people for crying out loud. I don't understand how can a guy who played Ragnar Lothbrok gets a pass on that specific style of acting for anything else. Is that really his only MO, because i can't imagine seeing him no other role anytime soon.
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Gordon-114 May 2020I find the story quite interesting, and it entertained me throughout. The sets are nice, the people are good looking, so there is not much to dislike!