How to Rob

It amazes me what an indie film production can do for a city that only gets a solid crime film every five to ten years. Between the excellent writing/direction of Peter Horgan and the amazing performances by both leads Chinaza Uche and Joshua Koopman, you're just pulled in from the start and it doesn't let go until the credits roll. The amount of twists and turns you experience in ninety minutes is something that can easily fall like a house of cards either becoming predictable or forced. In this case, they come when you least expect it, and continue to keep you on the edge of your seat as you watch its story unfold. Highly recommend for those looking for a dark, gritty crime flick who's ready to take a chance on the next best filmmakers coming from the indie scene.

A poignant, beautifully-filmed story that is as much about male relationships as it is about crime. The subtle, yet gut-punch sociology in the writing is matched by the direction and the cinematography.** Having read about this film, and knowing it was produced on a micro-budget, this is a screenwriter and filmmaker who will soon have Hollywood knocking on his door. The skeptics and purists might notice the sacrifices made here and there due to budget constraints, but these sacrifices were wise choices that indicate a sharp use of resources. In reality, that this film is at the level it is considering what this team had in terms of financing, is indicative of genius behind the camera.

How To Rob is a wonderful Massachusetts made independent film that explores the friendship between two childhood buddies that met under an unlikely circumstance. The story takes chaotic avenues to illustrate the lengths both friends (Sean and Jimmy) will go to protect one another no matter who ends up getting in their way. Writer and Director Peter Horgan provides a smart, original, raw, and appropriately timed comedic script for his two main leads, Joshua Koopman and Chinaza Uche, who deliver authentic and memorable performances from start to finish. The film is further fueled with an amazing soundtrack that feels appropriate and complimentary to the story and setting. A very promising debut feature from Horgan that undeniably has replay value.

I'm a fan of indie film and especially noir but I hit a big snag with the casting. One of two main characters, the guy who played Jimmy and Corky, the guy playing his little brother, both just didn't fit the part at all. Both those guys seemed to me better suited for comedy. Needless to say they spoil the mood completely. And Corky's mom was a bad stereotype.

I say this as someone from Boston who has some familiarity with this element, having grown up with guys who did this kind of thing.

I have to give them credit for doing a decent job with the Boston accents. That's something that's apparently very difficult for Hollywood to accomplish.

The two thugs playing the bad guys were OK, althouygh they tried to hard at times, but that may have been the writing, hard to tell.

Five stars is a stretch given that at no point did I get caught up in the story. It's just ok overall.

Remarkably well done for an independant film. Sometimes the lower budget productions bring the true authenticity many of us enjoyed in the late 80's and early 90's crime thrillers. This was clearly written and directed by a native to the region and Peter Horgan portrays that well with real accents, filming locations, and neighborhoods. Hollywood rarely has the ability to display what the crime underworld in the Boston region really is. They often misrepresent those realities with phony accents and bad acting. This was the opposite. Great acting and writing. The hitman Anthony Firicano stole the show and I hope to see more of his work. Well done to all involved.