ROBBERY Review: Corey Stanton’s Feature Debut Brutally Questions Addictions

Corey Stanton’s new movie, Robbery, packs in an exquisite, artful display of emotive brutality in a revenge story wrapped in addiction, pennance, and the price we pay for the things we give value to. What you may love the most is how much the score magnifies the film’s intensity throughout while keeping up with the unraveling layers of character development and plot twists that reveal the ultimate crux of what Robbery‘s tale truly is.

The film begins with a table of casino chips and a painting as we meet Richie (Jeremy Ferdman) and his elderly father, Frank (Art Hindle), who suffers from dementia. When Richie isn’t out authorizing homeowners of their material values throughout his rural town, and seemingly lawless down, he works at a garage with a mechanic named Ellie (Tara Spencer-Nairn). Beyond that, he also sits in on a support group for those addicted to gambling.

He meets the beautiful and mystifying Winona (Sera-Lys McArthur) who also partakes in the group and works at the local casino. The two grow closer while Richie continues to deal with his own personal woes in the form of two brooding lackeys who work for Madame crimeboss and casino owner, Roxanne (Jennifer Dale). Facing down his debts with time slowly passing, Richie is tortured and beaten with less than a week to pay back his debts or lose his family, along with his group and his father as collateral. What ensues is a cyclically violent recapitulation of scheming, violence and long-awaited retribution where the secrets before them are the ultimate decider of a tragic story that still awaits its ending.

Stanton’s freshman debut is a delightful journey into the mystique of characters whose true intentions are revealed way later on, arousing an introspective focus on elemental dualities such as time and money, and revenge and forgiveness. This is the journey both Richie and Winona go through in their endeavors as the plot thickens following a spate of breadcrumbs Stanton’s script leaves in its wake.

Following Richie’s tale, Stanton takes you on a relentless journey rife with the kind of stoic mystique and complexity that unerves thorought its progression. The constant threat of danger, and increasing desperation is veiled in the mild coolness and self-assurance he needs to be able to take care of Frank, whose degenerating state is only a piece of the puzzle to his greater story.

Robbery culminates a powerful crime thriller with characters and a performance caliber that ropes you in with each scene. Each character has their own set of flaws and tropes that are thematic to the entirety of the movie in its subliminal messaging. Stanton’s choice of vision works wonders in Robbery for anyone keen on entertaining heist dramas that will leave you on the edge of your seat through and through, and more importantly, won’t leave you bankrupt.