Malcolm Venville's 'Henry's Crime' is a delightfully lowkey heist/ romantic comedy. By romantic comedy I don't mean those sugarcoated typically Hollywood rom-coms that are set in New York or that star Julia Roberts. This is nothing like that. The humour is quite dry and subtle and the romance is depicted effectively through non-verbal expressions rather than words. Then there's the heist angle which is depicted very simply. The director and writer don't attempt to build tension (as is done in most other heist flicks) because the primary focus is on the characters and 'Henry's Crime' has some fascinating ones.
The production values are modest and the execution is pretty good. The sets are quite appealing without having to be lavish. Several instrumental tracks in the score are brilliant. Silence is effectively used as the quietness brings out a certain charm.
Keanu Reeves plays the title character and his performance here is better than most of what he's done. He is overshadowed by Vera Farmiga, Judy Greer and James Caan. Greer has a very small role but she wonderfully conveys the layers of her character. Farmiga is superb as the feisty yet bitter but soft-hearted Juñie Ivanova. She plays the part very naturally. Caan provides some excellent comic relief. The supporting cast is very good even though Stormare's caricature director does occasionally get on one's nerves.
To sum it up, 'Henry's Crime' is a simple and splendid heist rom-com. The symbolic ending has various layers and it doesn't desperately try too hard to tie things up.
