WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
Watching. Waiting. Scheming. Preparing yet again to pull off a job done countless times before with, it seems, little to no effort or challenges faced. What is it that’s been said about “the best laid plans”? Experienced thieves Lucas (Ariel Zuckerman) and Sam (Jack Lynch) have their M.O. down pat–seek out a home with its residents away, break in, take what they want, and disappear before anyone is the wiser.
But, one home chosen turns out to be a little more–complicated. A dominating, abusive father, Frank (John Depew), and his two daughters, Linda (Asta Paredes) and Eliza (Caitlyn Parker), arrive back sooner than expected. Separated within the home, Lucas runs into Linda while Sam has the more unfortunate chance of being spotted by Frank. Events, however, take various and twisting turns that will impact both the criminals and a dysfunctional family.
Next, my Mind:
Watching a tale about a home robbery gone wrong, even at only 16-minutes long, could really push some people’s patience, as the general narrative has been before and quite often. However, Writer Andrew Gleeson and Director Matt Rindini instead deliver a fun little twist on the concept, and ultimately turn the effort into a wonderfully played character drama that actually has some solid foundation to it. Truly, it becomes a full blown morality tale as events unfold.
Honestly, the whole cast here emotes well and puts passion into the roles they play, each providing a needed element to the greater narrative as it takes the winding path it does. If anything, it was great to have the chance to see Depew in “acting mode” after this reviewer connected with him in 2015 via his directing of the feature-length indie effort “Lazarus Rising”. Again, this is an ensemble piece and kudos belong to everyone in this film.
Overall, “The Runaround Club” serves up it’s moral efficiently, taking a look at how bad intention can turn into unexpected connection, but ultimately come back around to hard realities.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
