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When characters in a movie are having a good time, it’s hard to completely resist their charms. Such is the case with Finding Steve McQueen, a jaunty heist tale that has more than its fair share of fun, even if the final product is on the sleight side. This is the sort of picture that, depending on how and when you watch it, will determine in large part what your feelings are. If you were to see it on cable or on a plane, for example, it would certainly satisfy and pass the time. In theaters or On Demand, however? There, it comes up a little short of the necessary mark. The film is a mix of a crime caper and a bit of a romance as well. In 1980, Harry Barber (Travis Fimmel) begins to tell his girlfriend Molly Murphy (Rachel Taylor) a story. Back in 1972, a group of thieves from Youngstown,...

Chicago – The “caper” film, Aka the heist film, is one of the old reliable genres in the movies, and usually involves a gang of mismatched thieves. “Finding Steve McQueen” goes all the way back to the 1970s to spotlight a based-on-truth burglary that involves Tricky Dick himself, President Richard M. Nixon.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

The gang is led by the underrated character actor William Fichtner (probably best known as the gun-waving astronaut in ‘Armageddon”), who depends on a dim-but-reliable car enthusiast played by Travis Fimmel, whose story is the focus of the film. The title is a reference to the Fimmel character’s love for the King of Cool, movie star Steve McQueen, and many of the film’s incidences either alludes to or directly comments upon McQueen’s films. Director Mark Steven Johnson (“Ghost Rider”) also does some fancy timeline jumping, as the film begins in 1980, but tells the story of...

The Dinsio Brothers and their accomplices stole around nine million dollars from four hundred-plus safety deposit boxes inside the United California Bank of Laguna Niguel. To read Amil Dinsio’s website is to learn of his self-proclaimed “master” exploits and how the FBI sought to frame him for the job before discovering the evidence necessary to prove he did it. Maybe there’s a movie there, but probably not. The world simply doesn’t need another self-serious drama projecting the smarts it takes to pull off the “perfect” heist despite still inevitably getting caught. So screenwriters Ken Hixon and Keith Sharon looked beyond the Dinsios to uncover their nephew Harry Barber as a more entertaining entry point. This burglary could acquire the necessary humor to render it appealing through him instead.

As a result, Mark Steven Johnson’s Finding Steve McQueen is less about the crime than how Harry (Travis Fimmel...

Writer/director Mark Steven Johnson has done everything from comic book movies to romantic comedies but his latest is likely the best work he's done in years. Written by Ken Hixon and Keith Sharon, Finding Steve McQueen re-tells the true story of a bank heist which prompted the largest manhunt in FBI history.

William Fichter stars as Enzo Rotella, the leader of a gang of thieves who get a tip that Richard Nixon is hiding $30 million dollars in illegal campaign contributions in a California bank vault. The crew add Harry Barber (Travis Fimmel) to their brethren, a Steve McQueen-obsessed guy who seems a little off but proves to be a huge asset to the operation. The heist is nearly perfect with one tiny exception, an oversight that leads to the arrest of most of the crew with the...

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

-Sony Pictures is acquiring the worldwide rights to “Greyhound,” the World War II drama written by Tom Hanks, Deadline reports. Hanks will also star in the film, which will be directed by Aaron Schneider (“Get Low”), and produce with his Playtone partner Gary Goetzman.

In the film, Hanks plays George Krause, the commander of a Navy destroyer called the Greyhound. Sony acquired the rights to the film at the Berlin International Film Festival’s European Film Market.

Read More: Shia Labeouf, Rooney Mara and More: 10 Hot Projects at Berlin’s European Film Market

-Lionsgate has acquired U.S. rights to action film “Rally Car,” starring Keanu Reeves. The film will be directed by Olivier Megaton (“Taken 2,...

Finding Steve McQueen is being sold at the Efm by Ambi.

Open Road Films has acquired Us distribution rights to heist film Finding Steve McQueen, directed by Mark Steven Johnson (Ghost Rider, Daredevil).

The cast includes Vikings star Travis Fimmel, Forest Whitaker, William Fichtner and Rachael Taylor.

Open Road is set to release the film wide in 2018 for Ambi Distribution, the worldwide sales arm of Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Ambi Media Group, which is handling international sales and will introduce the project to foreign distributors at the Efm in Berlin.

The deal was negotiated on behalf of Open Road Films by CEO Tom Ortenberg, chief operating officer and general counsel, Elliott Kleinberg and svp acquisitions, Lejo Pet and by Andrea Iervolino , Silvio Muraglia and Joseph Cohen on behalf of Ambi Media Group and Paradox Studios.

The film is based on a true story about the biggest bank heist in American history, when a gang...

As the European Film Market kicks off in Berlin, Open Road Films has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to the heist movie Finding Steve McQueen, starring Travis Fimmel, Forest Whitaker, William Fichtner and Rachael Taylor.

Mark Steven Johnson directed the project, which is based on the true story of the biggest bank heist in U.S. history. In 1972 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. Keith Sharon and Ken Hixon wrote the screenplay.

Open Road is planning a wide release in 2018.

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Today’s Atlanta casting notices include a starry opportunity! “Finding Steve McQueen,” an upcoming feature starring Forest Whitaker and Kate Bosworth, is currently seeking background talent. The film, which will shoot this September and October in Atlanta, Georgia, is casting male and female actors of all types to portray several roles including “college hippies, young adults with a ’70s vibe, FBI agents, and restaurant patrons.” Read: “Forest Whitaker Wants to Be a ‘Better Actor’ ” The piece, “based on the true story of the biggest bank heist in U.S. history,” features a screenplay by Keith Sharon and will be helmed by director Mark Steven Johnson. For more information on “Finding Steve McQueen,” you can see the full notice here. And be sure to check out all of Backstage’s Atlanta auditions! For advice on auditions, headshots, and more, head over to Backstage’s YouTube channel!

Travis Fimmel, Kate Bosworth and Forest Whitaker have each agreed terms to board upcoming heist film, Finding Steve McQueen.

That’s according to The Hollywood Reporter, revealing that the trio of actors will now star opposite William Fichtner in the Mark Steven Johnson-directed pic. Johnson – best known for helming Ghost Rider, Daredevil and Elektra – will take point on a screenplay penned by Keith Sharon and Ken Hixon when production kicks off in Atlanta next month, when John Finn, Rhys Coiro and Louis Lombardi will round out the core ensemble cast.

A heist film in both name and nature, Finding Steve McQueen is said to be based on the “true story of the 1972 bank heist by a gang of close-knit thieves from Youngstown, Ohio, trying to steal $30 million in illegal contributions and blackmail money from President Richard Nixon’s secret fund.” Those are about the only plot details currently available for now,...

Vikings and Warcraft star Fimmel and Bosworth line up alongside Forest Whitaker and William Fichtner on the thriller, which Ambi Distribution will introduce to global buyers in Toronto next week.

Mark Steven Johnson will direct Finding Steve McQueen, which Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Ambi Group is financing and producing alongside Paradox Studios and Identity Films.

Principal photography is scheduled to begin in September in Atlanta, Georgia, on the true story of the biggest bank heist in Us history.

The action centres on a crew from Youngstown, Ohio, that in 1972 attempted to steal $30m in illegal contributions and blackmail money from President Richard Nixon’s secret fund.

Keith Sharon and Ken Hixon wrote the screenplay. John Finn, Rhys Coiro and Louis Lombardi are also in the cast.

Anthony Mastromauro of Identity Films produces with Silvio Muraglia of Paradox Studios, Iervolino and Bacardi, and Alexandra Klim. Mikael Wiren will serve as executive producer.

“Aligning a cast...

Forest Whitaker and Kate Bosworth are set to head up the cast of the Ambi heist movie Finding Steve McQueen. Travis Fimmel and William Fichtner will also star in the film, based on the true story of the biggest bank heist in U.S. history. The 1972 event saw a gang of close-knit thieves from Youngstown, Ohio, attempting to steal $30 million in illegal contributions and blackmail money from President Richard Nixon’s secret fund. Mark Steven Johnson (Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Elektra) will direct from a screenplay by Keith Sharon and Ken Hixon. Principal photography on the film — also

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